Vengeance
by Nel
Summary: Miaka's world has crashed around her and just when things finally begin to look up and she is invited on a luxiurious cruise, tragedy strikes. Several murders have occured and the clock is ticking before the murderer strikes again!
1. Prologue

Author's Notes:

Hello again, readers. As some of you already know, this story is the sequel to Hatred's Binds. It is entirely possible to read and enjoy this story without having read the first, though some character issues and references to the previous story may be made. Unlike the other story, which I had finished before I began to post, this is not finished, and I am exceedingly busy right now, so I won't make any promises. However, not to be a review whore, I have to say that reviews really do motivate me to continue – especially constructive reviews. Enjoy the story!

-nel

Prologue

It was as if the sky itself were weeping for its loss. The rain splattered angrily against the windows and roof, crying openly in the way that the people inside could not. Black was the only color within the building, aside from the white robes of the priest, and the pure snowy carnations that littered the small room.

A solitary figure stood over the dark, shiny wooden casket, her narrow shoulders shaking horribly in an attempt to remain in control of the dam that was ready to burst. A gentle hand touched her shoulder, leading her away from the eyes of her love that would never open again.

He watched her from the back of the humble chapel, his blue eyes following the figure that seemed to have diminished in the three weeks since he had last seen her, lively, bouncing, holding tightly to the arm of the one who now lie still.

He could not say he was happy to see him dead. It was true that in more bitter moments, he had envisioned various creative methods of torture or murder, but he had always known there was an unspoken agreement between himself and that young woman whose heart now lay shattered under the foot of fate. He would accept the man and the love he held for his future bride, and in return, she would remain cheerful.

It now seemed that their silent agreement was void. The man was dead, and it seemed that the young woman was also, if not in body, then in spirit.

Her brother was leading her away, to the front pew of the chapel, and he was still watching, even as he took his own seat. There was much weeping, especially from the front few rows where his family sat; four siblings, an aging father, though no mother could be found. The man had been so beloved. His life had touched everybody he met. His joy and compassion and kindness had been terribly infectious. Even a man as usually unconcerned as himself could feel the effects.

The eulogy began. Of course she could not bear to give it. Her brother did so. He was impressively eloquent. He had always considered his sister's lover to be his brother as much as she was his sister. The speech was moving. The man in the back was not the only person that thought so, as a good portion of the room began to cry silently or loudly. A few people even had to excuse themselves.

Hymns were sung, and the palbearers, men he recognized as his six closest friends, lifted the box and carried it into the hearse. A few people murmered that it had been a lovely service. He thought to himself that that was probably the dumbest expression on earth, for how could a funeral be lovely?

He followed the mourning friends, relatives, and even teachers out of the chapel and onto the street, making his way to his own car and quietly pulling out of the lot. As he drove past, he glimpsed the young woman through the window of her brother's car, her russet hair obstructing those hazel eyes, usually so full of life, now deadened. Almost as if she had felt his presence, she looked up, tears flooding her pale, thin face and met his gaze. He nodded respectfully and sped off.

The funeral for the man whose name was Sho Kishkou was complete. Ayuru would not be attending the burial.


	2. 1 Cruising for Disaster

Chapter One - Cruising for Disaster

Time, as it had been since the very beginning, had a way of slipping by. The spring turned to a warm summer, which slowly melted into a cool autumn. And then winter came. She reveled in the winter. It seemed to agree with her in spirit, its cold deadness matching the way she felt for a good long time. That year, Miaka grew to love the symbolism of winter.

However, as seasons tended to do, winter passed, and with its passing brought a new life. Flowers began to bloom and the world became light again, and although she did not feel the new life that the spring brought in her soul, she accepted it and began to move on with her life. Taka, her love, had died almost a year before.

The brunette, a little older, and a lot wiser, sat under a full, blooming tree on her old school's grounds. She and Taka had met up there every day after school since she'd began there. She was now two years out, working part time at, ironically, a book store, as well as attending classes at Tokyo University. She had yet to pick a major, and that was fine with her, or rather, it had been. Before, she had been planning on going to school long enough so that if it was needed she could get a decent job and then marry Taka, at which point he would care for her.

She never even imagined she would be facing a future alone, unsecured financially or any other way. The last year had been spent wandering in a sort of daze, but she was slowly realizing that whether she liked it or not, people were moving on, and so should she. She knew he would have wanted her to live her life to it's fullest and not waste it being sad for him. A few tears trickled down her face. She half expected him to appear behind her and hug her.

"Miaka," a voice snapped her from her musings.

"Taka?" she gasped momentarily, turning around. "Oh, hello Nifei." Though she failed miserably, she made an honest effort to hide her disappointment.

"Hello, Yuuki-sempai," the young woman sat down beside her. Her long, raven locks fell around her gracefully. Amber-brown eyes turned and fell on her. While Miaka was a year ahead of the girl named Sui Nifei was quite a bit taller than herself. Miaka puffed up a little in an attempt to look older and not so forlorn, but only succeeded in looking bloated.

"Are you feeling all right, Yuuki-sempai? Do you have indigestion?"

Miaka deflated. "I'm fine, just thinking."

"About what?"

"High school," she smiled wistfully. "Junior High especially. I had an adventure in Junior High that I'll never forget, though sometimes... I wish I could..." her eyes began to tear.

"Well, maybe I can cheer you up a little. I have a room reserved on the International Cruise Line ship Okugi. I was going to take my boyfriend, but we broke up and I'd already gotten the tickets, so I was wondering if you wanted to go with me, seeing how we're in similar circumstances."

Miaka wanted to shout and say that this was nothing like breaking up. It wasn't like they could still be friends, he was gone. He was never coming back, but she held her tongue. It seemed like she was genuine, just had a poor choice of words.

"I'm not sure... when is it?"

"The day after summer vacation begins, all the way through the end. It's going to be a blast, please come!" the young woman pleaded.

"I'll think about it. Can I let you know tomorrow?" Miaka stood up, gathering her things slowly. "I would need to ask my mother if it's okay. You remember how she is, right? And I should check my schedule..."

"Tell me whenever you want," the taller girl stood up as well, smiling benevolently. "I'm looking forward to hearing your answer!" Nifei bounced off cheerfully, leaving Miaka alone once again. The college student sighed deeply. She didn't really want to go anywhere alone, especially not on a romantic cruise where she would be constantly reminded that she was without her love. But, loathe as she was to do so, she decided it would be best if she asked Yui. Yui was always full of wise advice, and Miaka knew that as of late, she hadn't exactly been rational - not that she was usually, but now even less so.

Sure this was the best course of action for the moment, the young woman finished packing up her things and headed off for Yui's house.

Mrs. Hongo was a generally kind woman. She loved her daughter, and her daughter's friends, and even trusted her daughter more than most parents to make good decisions. As of late, though, she had had a few maternal instincts jump on her at random. There was a reason for this, of course. She wasn't so illogical that urges such as this attacked her completely irrationally, but now she had a reason.

The man named Ryo Chin. Yui had been spending quite a lot of time with the lanky, long-haired man as of late, and that bothered her. Of course she knew it was natural for her daughter to be interested in boys, but this man seemed far too old for her innocent young daughter. She was only twenty and this man was six years older than her. The age wouldn't have even bothered her so much had he not seemed so strange, and had Yui not repeatedly denied that they were seeing each other even though they had been out nearly every night for weeks.

When Yui had started high school, she had been different. She had stopped telling her mother things that she used to. She had seemingly become and adult in days, and Mrs. Hongo for one did not like that. The young woman vacuumed her floor more furiously, becoming more annoyed at the turn of events concerning her daughter's apparent love life, but her raging vacuuming was interrupted by a knock that she would recognize anywhere.

Quickly, the middle aged woman flipped off the vacuum and opened the door. "Miaka-chan, how are you?!"

"I'm fine, thank you. Is Yui around?"

"No," she huffed, making Miaka step back a little. "She's out with the man again, that Chuin character. I tell you, there's something strange about him. Miaka," her eyes suddenly grew large and Miaka knew she was about to be questioned until she could speak no more. "What do you know about this fellow?"

"Tomo?" she murmured. "Well, I know they met in Junior High," she said, telling herself that she wasn't really lying, just not disclosing all she knew. "Do you know where they went?"

"That Chinese Restaurant... what's it called. Ryuen's, I think."

"Oh! That's convenient," Miaka edged her way out. "Thank you, Hongo-san!"

"Goodbye, Miaka-chan!" the woman called and resumed her vacuuming, and her musing. It made her feel better that Miaka knew this person. Miaka was a wonderful young woman and she loved her like a daughter.

Miaka walked into the busy Chinese restaurant. It was a hot spot in town, and it happened to be owned by her former Seishi Nuriko. The greeter asked her for her name and she said responded with her surname.

"You're not on the list, sorry," the greeter told her.

"I know the owner, Ryuen, let me see him please?"

"The owner is busy tonight," she said. "I'm sorry, but please leave."

"Look, I have a friend that's eating in here, and I need to talk to her. If you don't let me in, I'm going to call Nuriko and tell him that you wouldn't let me in, and you'll be fired five minutes after I make that call."

"What did you call him?"

"Nuriko," she frowned.

"You're one of those friends... that call him that... I'm terribly sorry," the woman stepped aside.

Miaka walked in and passed the bar, doing a double-take as she went by. "Nuriko?" she asked. "They said you were busy."

"I am," he grinned. The person at his side turned around and immediately smiled.

"Hotohori!" she leaped over and hugged him, then Nuriko. "Are you two on a date?!"

"No," they both said, a little too quickly.

"Well," she forced a bright smile on her face. "Where's Yui? Her mother said she was here."

"Back table, to the left," Nuriko pointed. Miaka nodded, thanked him, and headed back. Since the incident with Miboshi and all hell literally being loosed on earth, she and her Seishi had been reunited and spent a fair amount of time together, though not as much as they would have liked.

Likewise, Yui had tried to repair the relationships with her Seishi, especially Tomo, who she thought had died most unfortunately at the hands of his fellow Seishi. They were actually quite contrasting in personality, much like she and Miaka were, which was always an interesting mix.

Yui enjoyed his company greatly. He was so animated, maybe even more so than Miaka. In fact, Yui had gotten better acquainted with all her Seishi. All but Nakago, whom neither had seen before or since Taka's funeral, as well as Miboshi who had been returned to hell.

"Yui-chan," Miaka waved. Yui looked up, surprised.

"Miaka," she blinked. "What are you doing here."

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I needed to talk to you. Oh, hello, Tomo," Miaka greeted. Tomo nodded politely and smiled.

"Have a seat, won't you?" he asked. Though he hadn't known her for very long, he liked the Suzaku no Miko, especially since she hadn't help any grudge against him after the unfortunate incident in his Shin.

"Thank you," she did so. "Yui, do you remember Sui Nifei?"

"That strange girl that went as an assistant on that overseas trip Tamahome's class took?"

"Yes, that's her," she nodded. "She asked me to go on a cruise with her."

"A cruise?" she blinked.

"The International Cruise Line ship called Okugi, I think. It's a nice cruise ship, but I don't know... we don't know each other that well, and she only invited me because her boyfriend broke up with her..."

"She had a boyfriend?" Tomo asked, slightly surprised.

"Apparently so," Yui responded. "Well, what do you think, Miaka?"

"I don't really want to go," she confessed. Things had been difficult since Taka died. She had been depressed and antisocial. "I'd rather stay with my friends."

"I think you should go," the blonde told her friend. "You haven't done anything exciting in a year. You haven't bothered with school, you're slacking off at work. I think you need to get away from the routine and have a little fun, to prove to you that there is life A.T."

"A.T.?"

"After Taka," Tomo said helpfully.

Her eyes darkened for a moment, but then she seemed to seriously consider. She couldn't live the rest of her life in a daze. He was gone, and he wasn't coming back. There was no Suzaku to bring him back, there was no reincarnation, this was it. She knew she needed to acknowledge that this was the way things turned out and this was how they had been fated to be. With that in mind, she decided that she would go. Yui was right, as usual. She needed a change of pace.

"You're right," she sighed. "You're always right. Thank you, have fun, I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Miaka-san," Tomo said. Yui hugged her friend as she departed, worried for her, but confident that this cruise would be a good thing. She just had that feeling, but this time, it was a good one.

The next day, Miaka told Nifei that she would go on the cruise. Nifei was thrilled, and told her what she should bring. There were only three more weeks of the semester. Miaka put in a bit of extra effort for her finals and the days seemed to breeze by quickly. She had decided that she didn't want to feel guilty all summer for not studying as hard as she could.

After finals, which she was confident she didn't fail, at least, Miaka packed her bags and met the strange girl Nifei at the docks. She was excited, and yet worried. Yui had really been there for her after Taka had died, and so had her brother, and all her Seishi. This would be the first time she would really be away from them since the unfortunate event, and with the one year anniversary of his passing in just three days, she didn't know how she could handle it. Still, she had been assured that there was wireless Internet and free long distance calling, so she thought she might be all right. Maybe...

"Yuuki-sempai," the taller girl grabbed her arm, pulling an enormous suitcase behind her and nearly dropping the tickets from her teeth as she spoke. Miaka took the somewhat slobbery tickets and pulled her own bag onto the boarding ramp.

"I thought you might not make it."

"I'm always late," she said with a small laugh. "It's just my luck that something always happen, no matter how early I am, to make me a half an hour late."

"That sounds like me..." she said distractedly. "Well, shall we board?" Truthfully, she just wanted to get on and put her things away so she could get something to eat. She had done a little research (actually, she asked Chiriko to do so) and had learned that there was a world class buffet on the ship. Despite the bad things that happened to her, she never lost her appetite.

The two handed the man in front of the door their tickets and stepped inside. Both were immediately bombarded with wonderful scents of gourmet food, sounds of people chattering and having fun, as well as sights of all things extravagant.

"It's beautiful," the former Suzaku no Miko, not being very well off since her mother worked to support all three of them herself, had never been on a cruise. Nor had she, in fact, ever been anywhere this lavish and expensive looking, aside from maybe the Konan palace. The walls were decorate with ornate tapestries and original artwork. The floors were marble, and great stone pillars supported the high ceiling.

Miaka couldn't help wondering how the ship didn't sink with such weighty things in it.

"Isn't it, though? I've been on it a bunch of times before, but the first time I was here it just amazed me. It's the finest cruise ship ever built. It's even nicer than our house's ballroom!"

"You have a ballroom?" the girl turned suddenly.

"Oh yeah, ballroom, exercise room, theater, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pools... That's why I live in the dorms at the school. My house is in the country. Actually, my dad does have a little five bedroom house in Tokyo, but that's just so he doesn't have to take the helicopter to the office every day..." she had absolutely no idea that she was rich and privileged. This all seemed so ordinary to her. For Miaka, it was like being dropped into another world all over again. "What kind of house do you live in?"

"Oh, we just live in an apartment. I'd stay in the dorms, but... you know, it's too expensive."

"Oh..." she said softly, realizing for the first time how much of a brat she must have appeared to be. "I've always wanted to live in an apartment. I think it'd be cozy. Our house is really much too big anyhow."

"You don't have to feel bad for being rich," Miaka said cheerfully, throwing off her wonder and beginning to walk again. "Let's find our room, ne?"

Nifei seemed relieved and nodded. "It's on the top of the quarters floors. The suites..."

"Suites? Really?" Miaka's eyes widened.

The dark haired girl nodded and directed her to the elevator. Miaka's eyes continued to scan around in amazement. When she caught sight of their room number, she rushed forward excitedly, pawing at the door like an excited kitten as Nifei came up behind her to unlock it. The two went inside their room.

"Wow..." she breathed. It was bigger than her entire house. The front room had a big screen television with a couch and three plush armchairs. Antique end tables and a coffee table she was sure was worth more than her college tuition rested about, and beautiful artwork hung on the walls and rested in various areas around the room. Everything had a very European feel to it, which felt so exotic to her that it was almost unbearable. She felt like she might explode from excitement.

She dragged her bag into the nearest bedroom (there were actually three) and lugged it onto the old oak chest, throwing her clothes into the drawers and running out to explore some more. She walked into a full sized kitchen and then found Nifei in her own room, unpacking her things and neatly putting everything away.

"Shouldn't we have left port by now?" Miaka asked.

"I got a call. Somebody important, he's a member of my father's firm, actually, though I've never met him, is running a little late. He's a VIP, though, so it's being delayed a few minutes."

"They're delaying everything for one guy? He must be really important."

"Well, it's my father's firm that keeps things that way, I think. He is the president and founder of the largest law firm in Japan. They have over fifty lawyers at their disposal and handle all the most high paying jobs... you know, celebrities, politicians."

"Wow. I wonder what he's doing here, then."

"Entertaining a possible client, I'd imagine. His name is Ai... or Gi... something like that."

"I see," for some reason that struck her as familiar. "Say, Nifei, do you mind if I go explore the ship a little while you finish unpacking?" she was bouncing up and down on her toes, feeling like a fifteen year old again.

"Not at all, here, take a key," the woman handed her a shiny golden key (even the key was ornate!) and continued to slowly put her things in their right places. "The dinner starts soon, so we may as well just meet up there. There's a reserved section, just show them your key and they'll let you to the real buffet."

"Oh, okay," she said happily, dashing out of the room. As she left, she made a mental note to give Nifei a big hug for taking her here. She still missed Taka, of course, she still worried about missing her friends, but she was determined to enjoy this. As she dashed down the hallway, she noticed another resident in the suite section entering his or her room, a flash of golden hair catching her eye before the door closed. A few minutes later, the ship began to move.

Miaka wandered down the hall until she found a map and decided she would find the longest route to the dining hall, so as to see as much as possible while still getting some delicious food fairly soon. She went down to the main level and peeked into various rooms - there were swimming pools, game rooms, an exercise room, a dancing hall, not to mention business centers and a full sized roller skating rink.

"We're heading south toward the tropics, sir," she heard somebody saying over a phone. "It'll be about three days and then we'll land in the Bahamas on an island where our guests will be free to explore the islands, staying at one of our many hotels or remaining on the ship. We'll take off in time for your daughter to be back for the first day of university, don't worry. What? Yes, he did make it on board. We waited until he boarded as per your request and have left port as of about ten minutes ago. No, thank YOU. For choosing the International Cruise Line Okugi. Yes, thank you sir, goodbye."

Miaka was pretty certain that that was Mr. Sui, Nifei's father. She asked the person after he hung up the phone, and was glad to discover that her powers of deduction had increased a bit since her last adventure.

"Yes, it was him. How did you know?"

"Well, Nifei told me that her father sent a guy from her father's company and he hadn't arrived..."

"Nifei?"

"His daughter."

"You know her?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah, she's my friend." Miaka had never been one to be intimidated by people in positions of power, as proved by her casual relationship with Hotohori, both as emperor of Konan and as the would-have-been emperor of Japan, now a powerful politician. "She actually brought me. I'd never be able to afford a cruise like this otherwise," she laughed.

"Neither would I, if I didn't work here. Do you think... maybe you could introduce me to her?" the young man, who looked about her age, smiled hopefully. Miaka did admit that he was pretty cute. His brown hair was scruffy and messed up like... like Tamahome's always was, she thought sadly. His amber eyes were wide and happy; hopeful even.

"Sure, she could use a cute boyfriend! Come to think of it, I never met the boyfriend she just broke up with... I never even knew she had one before."

"She's single?"

"Yep, single as can be. I have an idea, you're a waiter, right?" she looked at his clothes to verify. He nodded. "Okay, you tell me your name and I'll order room service later. When you come up, I'll not be able to find any money for the tip and ask her if she can handle it and you can introduce yourself."

"That's a good plan, but she'll probably blow me off... I'm just a glorified busboy."

"No, she's really nice. I'm of your basic working class too - I live at home, work at a bookstore and try to afford college, and she approached me in the library because she said I looked sad... She's a really nice girl, so you should try to get to know her."

"You're nice too, miss...?"

"Yuuki. Yuuki Miaka. What's your name?"

"Tsu Muji," he told her. "It's nice to meet you."

"It was nice to meet you too, Tsu-kun. Um... do you think you could direct me toward the dining hall. I was supposed to meet Nifei, but I can't remember how to get there, now that I've gotten off my route."

"It's right over there, the third door on the right," he smiled. "I'll see you later."

"Bye!" she waved and dashed off towards the dining hall. Miaka was glad she was as outgoing as she was, or else she never would have met that nice guy. It would be good to know somebody besides Nifei on the ship. She was fun, but Miaka sometimes liked to have a larger group around her, and besides, the billionaire woman could be somewhat abrasive after a while, and they were going to be together for a long, long summer. It was always good to have a place to go to hide out, and the kitchen was a wonderful place to do just that. Having an inside connection would be a very good thing.


	3. 2 Shock of the Gamble

Author's Notes: Hello again, faithful readers. Here is the second chapter of Vengeance. I hope you all enjoy it. Just a few suggestions. If people are reading and not review, please do so. I like to know who is reading my stories and I like to know what they think, as it helps me write better. To those of you who have reviewed, thank you so much, I appreciate it muchly. I hope you'll all enjoy the next chapter and tell your friends!

Alcestis: I couldn't find time to e-mail you before, so I thought I'd just say it here. Thank you so much for your review. I love that you pick up on my little literary devices and such, and how you tell me what you think about my character development. I will try to work on the dialogue. Thanks again, I really value your input and opinion.

Kittylynne: Wow, that was quite a review! I love your input on the different scenes and such. It helps to know what people are finding realistic or superfluous. Your reviews are lovely and insightful and I am flattered that you are reading my humble story. When I go through the final revisions, I just may take you up on some of your suggestions. Thanks a ton.

Finally, I'd like to apologize in the lag between chapters. I have started work on an original piece, a novel, actually, and therefore most of my attention has been on that. I will try to update more expediently. Anyway, as usual, enjoy the chapter and please, let me know what you think!

Chapter Two – Shock of the Gamble

"Miaka, I thought you might have gotten lost," Nifei said once the former Miko had found her. "Did you like the ship?"

"I loved it," she sat down. "Is this all for us?"

"No, don't be silly. This is just the first course. The rest is coming."

"The first..." her mouth watered. "This is the life!"

"Isn't it, though?" Nifei said contently. She enjoyed dazzling Miaka in this manner.

"Thank you so much for taking me on this cruise. I'm having so much fun. I was worried that I would miss my friends too much, or that being on a romantic cruise, with couples all around would remind me too much of... of how Taka and I used to be..."

"Yuuki-sempai..."

"But I think I'm going to have fun," she smiled brightly. "The ship is amazing, and the food is superb... the guys aren't too bad either, ne?"

"That's true," she said with a smile. "I'm surprised you're looking at men again, though, since..."

"Well, I don't think I'm ready to jump into a relationship or anything, especially within a month's time since how can you know somebody after such a short time? But anyway, I can appreciate the scenery. I met a cute waiter earlier. He was really nice, actually."

"Ah, well, you're nicer than any guy here, I'm sure. You deserve better than some waiter. You deserve somebody that appreciates your classic beauty. Somebody who will be blunt with you, because you sometimes need it, but appreciates your good cheer and optimism. Somebody strong, with good instinct in the business world so that you never have to work a day in your life... somebody... who will really love you for who you are, and love you passionately, who would kill or die for you!"

Miaka was touched the Nifei had taken the time to get to know her so well. Everything she said was something she knew she needed. Something she wanted in a man. It was true that she probably wouldn't find anybody like that in a place like this. With mostly rich socialites around, too concerned with themselves to care about her, the chances of meeting somebody... like Taka, somebody the type she could really fall for, were slim to nil.

"Nifei, you're a nice person. You know me too well. When did you get to know me so well? I never thought of us as really close... no offense or anything, but the last year... I've been kind of self-centered... I haven't given much thought to the other relationships in my life."

"I know you better than you think, Yuuki-sempai. Yuuki-sempai..." she said softly.

"Yes?" she asked, ignoring food in front of her for once in her life.

"May I call you Miaka-san?"

"Of course!" she replied. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"Thank you! You've made me so happy, coming with me, being my friend!" she hugged the smaller girl tightly. Miaka smiled and hugged her back. She seemed like maybe she was more lonely than she let on. "I hope you love me as much as I love you, Miaka-san."

"Of course, Nifei-chan," she smiled and gently pushed her away, returning to her food. "I love meat buns too, though!"

"Itadakimasu," the heiress picked up her fork and daintily began to eat. Miaka shoveled food into her mouth at alarming speeds. "Miaka, you might choke..."

"Mo, I'n mfkay," she continued to devour the meal like she'd never eaten. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a beautiful woman turn the corner just after a tall man who she'd only seen the expensive shoe of around the corner, as well as a broad shoulder, covered in what she could tell was a designer jacket. For some reason she stood out. Perhaps it was the diamonds shimmering on her hands, wrists, neck, and ears.

"This is really good," she sighed, taking a break to breathe and take a sip of her drink.

"The best chef in Japan is the head cook here," Nifei said knowingly.

"I'll have to meet him and thank him for this amazing food," Miaka said happily, drinking deeply from her glass and going back to her food. This was all so good. She knew she'd be back to her usual pudgy self by the end of this trip.

"Don't be silly, it's his job," she said in a somewhat haughty voice.

Miaka was a bit annoyed at the comment, but couldn't really blame her. That was how she was raised. "But you can tell by the taste that he put his heart and soul into what he makes. He works hard for others, and that deserves thanks."

"You're a kind girl, Miaka-san," she said, a little embarrassed by her rudeness.

The girl smiled bashfully and continued to eat, her pace a bit more sedate this time. Her thoughts wandered over the events of the last year again, as they had so many times before, and they ate together in silence.

As Miaka and Nifei returned to their room, Miaka once again spotted the tall, broad man, and once again didn't see his face, as he was turning the corner. There was just something so frustratingly familiar about him. She was half tempted to run up and ask who he was and what did he think looking so damned familiar?

But she thought better of it. If it was a man also in the suites, he would likely be offended by her forward behavior, so she restrained. It was hard, though. She was curious, and curiosity was one of her downfalls. Curiosity and food.

"Miaka, are you going to bed?"

"Maybe in a while, Nifei-chan," she replied, going out the sliding door leading the the topmost floor of the deck and looking out over the dark, gently rolling ocean. She shivered and stepped back from the railing. Something about it was so ominous and creepy. She half expected something to jump from the depths and kill her.

Ever since Taka had died almost a year ago, she'd been having disturbing dreams about her own death. It wasn't as if she really wanted to die, although initially after his passing, she'd really contemplated suicide, but Yui and the rest of her friends had pulled her through it. Still, not wanting to die didn't make her subconscious keep her alive. Nearly every night since that tragedy, she had dreamed of her own death, mostly by swift and silent ways - murderous plots of revenge, poisoning, drowning, a gunshot. Occasionally, however, she would have one that was much more violent, a nightmare of blood, where not only she, but her friends were killed, where she was stabbed and choked and tortured, and worse, forced to watch her friends tortured.

The strange thing was, all the death in her dreams didn't disturb her quite as much as one dream she had had shortly after Taka's death. She had been standing on a dock overlooking a vast body of water. The water had been dark and thrashing about like it was doing just then. Suddenly the dock behind her began to disappear, and with it her friends' lives. They fell into the abyss and she screamed for them, but they only drifted further into nothingness.

She'd initially assumed it was her feeling disconnect from her friends, as well as the water symbolizing death and how it separated her from those she loved, but now, as she stood staring into the darkness below, she couldn't help feeling like there was something more to it. It unnerved her.

The girl retreated inside quickly and said goodnight to Nifei. Feeling rather haunted, Miaka decided that sleeping probably wasn't the best idea. She knew she would suffer nightmares if she slept so soon after such a spooky experience, so she made her way back into the hotel-like hallway and found Muji in the kitchens.

"Yuuki-san, I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"I just wanted to talk to the chef... The food was just so good, I thought that it would be rude not to thank him for his hard work."

"You don't seem like a fan of food. You're so slim and small," he told her.

That was true. Since the death of her love, she had lost some weight. For months she had been more inclined to stare blankly at the television than to get up and eat something, and so she wasted away. Only recently had she begun to regain some of her former "female curves" as Taka had always called her tiny love handles, and even so they weren't noticeable, especially with her boxy pajama top and robe on.

"I'm not usually this skinny," she laughed softly. "I'm a glutton, I've just been too busy to eat lately, so I've lost a bit of weight."

"Ah, well, a woman with an appetite is always appealing. Who wants a stick figure? Not me," he said, mildly hoping to flatter her.

"I'm not sure how I should take that," she giggled. He made a sound of alarm, hoping he hadn't offended her. When he heard her tiny giggles, though, he knew she would never be insulted by something so silly. This was a woman who had dealt with more important things than her weight. He could tell just by looking into her hazel brown eyes that there was an unusual depth to her character, one that was rare and something to be cherished.

"I was wondering if you knew anything about the passenger in room 576. I'm in 574, and I've seen him a few times, but never his face... he seems familiar. Do you know his name?"

"I don't know his name, but if I remember correctly, that's the VIP that they delayed the ship for. He came with a woman, too. I didn't see him, but I saw her. She was beautiful, but looked like a snob, all decked out in diamonds, her nose a meter in the air."

"I see. Well, I should be going to bed, I think. I feel better now that I've talked to you. Thank you for taking time off and bothering with me," she got up on her toes and gave the tall boy a hug.

"Um, well, you're welcome," he hugged her back nervously. He'd honestly never expected such a lovely, kind girl to accept him, a lowly worker, so readily. She was really something.

"I hope we can spend more time together. You seem like a really interesting person," she told him and stepped back. "I'll see you later, then."

"Bye..." he said as she spun around and bounced away. There was something strange in her bounce, a little drag, but she bounced anyway despite how hard it was. It gave Muji the feeling that this woman had a sense of responsibility and determination. He knew he could fall for a woman like her.

Feeling like a new adventure was beginning, the young man smiled and returned to his work with a new sort of pride.

Miaka awoke the next morning, relieved that she hadn't had any evil dreams, and stretched. Nifei entered her room, already dressed in a short (only halfway down her thighs), flowy sun dress that accentuated her shapely curves and showed off her legs alluringly. The former miko could see a bikini strap peeking from beneath the thin strap of the white sun dress.

"You have a tan already," the young woman blinked as she pushed herself out of bed.

"I do?" she looked at her brown arms.

"That's your usual color?" she asked.

"Yes," she looked a little embarrassed. "It's not very delicate, I know."

"No, you look great," she said convincingly. Great was an understatement. The girl was beautiful. The white dress only served to make her skin look more bronze. She had a healthy sort of glow about her. Her hair was black as pitch in the overcast Tokyo light, but with the sun coming in through the window, all the red and brown that was in it reflected, giving her hair a shimmer. Her eyes were more amber than brown in the light. To put it simply, she looked like a model.

She blushed. "Thanks... You're really more pretty than me, though. You're so petite and delicate, and you have such unique colored eyes, and your hair," she reached forward and touched the locks that were curled from sleep. "Is just so beautiful."

"I'm nothing special," she was getting embarrassed now. "Anyway, I take it by your attire that you're planning on swimming?"

"We've gone far enough south now that it's warm and the sun is shining brightly - perfect for tanning or swimming."

"Tanning is bad for you," she said offhandedly, feeling like Yui for a moment. Her paler friend had driven that point home many years ago. She knew that with her fair complexion, though it wasn't as fair as some, it was an invitation for disaster to get too much sun.

"Well, we could stay inside."

"I didn't say I didn't want to," she laughed.

"Of course," she smiled brightly, pulling on a large, floppy hat. "They're serving breakfast outside this morning, so shall we?"

"Sure, just let me throw on some clothes," the young woman stood up and went to the dresser, pulling out a pink and brown two piece and a rich yellow, flowered sun dress of her own. Unlike the spaghetti straps of Nifei's, hers was only sleeveless, and was quite a bit longer, reaching just above her knee. Her bathing suit also displayed quite a bit less of her body than her more shapely friend's. Miaka's was a short, tank type top and boy short bottom, while Nifei wore a string bikini.

The russet-haired girl brushed her long hair and pulled it into a bouncy ponytail and then joined her friend in the main room of their suite. Together they left, and once again, Miaka spotted the backside of the blonde man and the woman he was with. The man was wearing a white silk shirt that, judging by the way it hung, was open in the front, as well as a pair of very, very tight black pants. The woman was wearing a dress similar to Nifei's, only, if possible, exposing more of her voluptuous body.

"This way to our part of the deck," her friend directed her. Miaka cursed under her breath and followed the sponsor of their lovely vacation in the opposite direction.

They made it to the deck, and noticed a buffet laid out for them. Once again, she saw the blonde man and ran over. He turned the corner to the other side of the buffet just as she made it to her side. The girl cursed and tried to see over the glazed-glass sneeze guard. Unfortunately, she was short enough that from her angle, his head was completely out of view. She doubted he could see her either. As she made it to the end, he turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

A string of curses slid fluently from her mouth before she could stop them. She thought to herself that she had spent far too much time with Tasuki this last semester.

"Miaka-san, you're acting strangely," her host came up behind her. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Uh... yeah, I'm just hungry, and... not used to the brightness of the sun," she turned to her friend and waved her hand dismissively, going to the buffet, but keeping an eye on the back of the blonde man. Who was this VIP that she felt like she knew?

The man stood up and went to the men's bathroom, so Miaka went to the ladies room, which was next to it, and stood there. Unfortunately, just as the door was opening, Nifei, who was much taller and broader than herself stepped in front of her.

"I need to use the restroom too, now that I think about it," she opened the door. "Are you coming, Miaka-san?"

The former miko ground her teeth and stepped into the bathroom, her view blocked anyway by her clueless friend. As she forced herself to pee and washed her hands, she thought of more ways to get a glimpse of the familiar man. Nifei and the frustrated woman exited the bathroom and sat down with their food, which had been brought to a table right near the railing with a large, colorful umbrella over it.

Miaka's eyes scanned around and she finally saw the object of her mild obsession, just as his face turned away from her direction. She heard the woman on his arm laugh loudly, with a sharp tone, and the two returned inside. Miaka sighed in frustration and ate dejectedly for the first time in at least a month. She didn't even enjoy the special, exotic food, being so frustrated. That man was infuriatingly familiar, and yet she couldn't get even the slightest glimpse of his face. She knew she recognized him from somewhere, but where?

"Miaka, do you want to go to the casino?"

"The casino? I thought we were going to enjoy the sun today?"

"Well, there are warnings for high levels of UV today, since we're so close the the equator. I think we should wait until the hottest part of the day is over, you know, it's the worst from ten to two, so I was thinking we could gamble for a while, then have a late lunch and make our way outside after that."

"I never think that far ahead," Miaka laughed, the blonde man momentarily forgotten. "All right, let's go spend all our money on stupid machines and games!"

"Here here!" the heiress stood up and the two went to the on-ship casino.

"I never knew wasting money could be so much fun," the shorter girl said, laughing as she lost another round of blackjack. Nifei had long since began to finance their gambling, knowing Miaka couldn't afford to blow all her savings in one day. "But are you sure it's all right that I gamble with your money?"

"I don't need it. I have too much to begin with. My father insisted I take an entire suitcase of cash - he sent it ahead. I have credit cards, personal checks, debit cards and so much cash money it's liable to be stolen anyway. It's better if we enjoy it. Besides, I don't want you to use all your money. I know you need that for school."

"You're so generous, Nifei-chan," the girl smiled and gave her a friendly hug. Nifei smiled happily and hugged Miaka more tightly, letting the hug linger. "Well, what do you say we get some lunch and then hit the deck?"

The two had gambled for about three hours. They'd played everything from slots to poker to strange lottery-like games. So far they'd won a free meal and lost about five thousand dollars.

"Let's cash in that meal, shall we?" the young woman asked.

"Well, it's just the casino's food. It's like cruise ship McDonald's."

"Perfect, I could go for a double cheeseburger and french fries! I wonder if they have malts..." she wandered toward the casino diner, excited to have something her pallet was used to. She enjoyed the catered food greatly, but nothing could beat an old favorite like burgers and fries.

Nifei shrugged and followed. She would try it, at least.

The socialite woman hiccuped and took an antacid. Miaka tried not to laugh. Who knew she'd never eaten such greasy food before? The former Miko had enjoyed it greatly, but she was used to the heavy food items that made other people have indigestion like crazy.

"That was an interesting meal," she said in an attempt to remain cheerful, despite her stomachache. "The malt, what was it, strawberry? That was especially intriguing."

"It's good old fast food. I live on that stuff," she sat down on the soft folding chair on the deck, smearing sunscreen on her face. "Are you sure you don't need to go back to our room and lay down?"

"I'll be lying down here anyway," she said nonchalantly. Miaka admitted that she had a point. The woman removed her sun dress and revealed her off-white bikini and beautiful, toned body. She lathered herself with sunscreen, asking for help with her back (and smearing the gooey stuff on Miaka's back as well), and laid down, pulling her hat over her face.

Miaka pulled her dress the rest of the way down and began to apply sunscreen to her arms, legs, and tummy. She felt a sting and realized that she'd sweated the sunblock into her eyes. As she was blinking back cleansing tears, she saw the outline of the blonde man walking by her once again. She could tell he wasn't paying attention to anything but the woman at his side, but knew that had her eyes not been blurred with tears, she would have seen his face. She cursed fate and pulled a light towel over her own face, wiping her tears and protecting her from getting burned.

She didn't know how long it had been, but she had fallen asleep. She vaguely recalled turning over to her stomach, and then turning to her back again, but was unsure of the time. The sky was beginning to get an orange, late afternoon-ish tinge to it, so she assumed she'd been asleep for two or three hours. The first thing she did was pray she hadn't been burnt to a crisp. That would really throw a damper in the vacation.

"I pulled an umbrella over so you wouldn't get burnt," the woman informed her from her side.

"Oh! Thank you," she sighed. She knew she burned easily, and knew that it was not fun to be on an expensive vacation and be sick from a stupid sunburn. She was relieved, to say the least.

"We should get dinner, and perhaps take a swim. What do you think?"

"That sounds good to me," she agreed, happily looking at her skin, which had taken on a very slight brown tint - not overpowering on her pale skin, but enough to give her some color. As she sat up and tried to see her back, a shadow fell upon her. She looked up, immediately noticing the blonde hair she'd been seeing all day without seeing the man's actual face. Her eyes widened when she saw a very familiar face.

"Suzaku no Miko," the voice held a hint of something. "What a surprise."

The young woman's eyes blacked and she fainted.


	4. 3 Old Friend

Chapter Three – Old Friend

"She always faints when she sees me," he explained, standing above the unconscious girl with a slight smirk on his handsome features. Nifei was glancing from her friend to the newcomer.

"Don't... flatter yourself..." the girl murmered, pushing herself up weaking and grabbing blindly for her drink. "I'm... dehydrated."

"I seem to recall a similar occasion," he said with a small chuckle.

"What are you doing here, Nakago?" she asked. "I haven't seen you since..." her eyes darkened.

He ignored her moment of depression. "I am accompanying a potential client."

"You're the VIP?!" she was suddenly lively and alert. "It really was you I kept seeing everywhere? I thought I was going crazy. I didn't know you were such an important person," she said in wonder.

"You said it yourself that I seemed to be affluent."

"Miaka-san, how do you two know eachother?"

"It's a long story," she responded. "About four hundred pages..."

A realization suddenly hit the former miko. "PERVERT!" she shrieked and covered herself. "I'm in my bathing suit, don't look at my body, you evil... pervert!"

"In case you didn't notice, Suzaku no Miko, I am also in my bathing suit."

"I did notice..." she blushed lightly.

"It's not like I haven't seen it all before, my little Miko," he leaned forward and gave her a positively seductive smirk, grasping her wrist and pulling her hands away from her body. "Although you look a bit different. You've put on a bit of weight."

"Most people say I've lost weight..." she tipped her head, a little confused.

The former Seiryu Seishi leaned in even more closely, his mouth so close that his breath tickled the tiny hairs on her neck. "I don't mean in your lovehandles," his hand brushed her breast so lightly that she wasn't sure it had happened.

Of course, knowing that this was Nakago, she knew it had, and she responded approprietly. She turned so red she nearly exploded. Abruptly, however, he withdrew from the almost intimate contact, and Miaka quickly realized why. The beautiful woman with him had returned, wearing only her swimsuit as well.

Muji had been right - she was beautiful. Her hair was past her waist, brilliant crimson and shining like a diamond. The miko had to admit that even Nifei, lovely as she was, would have trouble competing with such a momentous beauty. Miaka considered herself as good as eliminated from that competition.

"Friends of yours, Ayuru?" the woman asked.

"Didn't you call him 'Nakago'?" Nifei asked, blinking.

"It's just a nickname," Miaka said a little too quickly. "We're friends, if you can even call us that."

"Don't be so shy, Miaka-chan," he said. Miaka was shocked to hear such a friendly (although maybe insulting) suffix attached to her name. "I'd say we're closer to lovers."

"WHAT?!" she shrieked.

"Oh?" the elegant woman at his side asked.

"We did spend the night together," he could feel the Miko's outrage without even looking. It amused him greatly to see her wound so tightly.

"That is not..."

"A night she will never forget," he finished. Miaka was appalled, but also shocked that he would act so... casual about her. She wondered why he was leading them to believe that they were more than they really were. It didn't seem like him. "Well, we'd best be leaving."

The two turned before she could protest. Miaka stood, jaw opening and closing like a fish, unable to form words. Nifei stared up at her.

"Miaka-san... I... well, I thought you and Taka had been together since you were fifteen. He looks a bit old to have been with you when you were younger than that. Besides, I thought you were... you know, a virgin," she finished softly, looking sort of shocked and appalled herself.

"We are not lovers, we just know eachother from... a trip we were both on two years ago. He's exaggerating. I AM a virgin. I'd never have betrayed Taka like that," she spat angrily. Nakago had left at the exact right moment to leave lots of unanswered questions for her to be forced to explain. "And soon I'll be his murderer, because I'm going to kill him for saying those things!"

"So you've never been involved? You aren't interested?"

"Not at all. He was my enemy... we were only allies because we had to be... we're not even friends," she didn't sound very convinced herself, but Nifei seemed to believe it, because she looked... relieved? Something like that.

"Do you still want to get dinner?" she changed the subject. "Or would you rather go back to our room?"

"I wouldn't give him the satisfaction," she spat, standing up and pulling her sundress back on. "We'll eat, we'll swim, and we'll have a damn good time doing it."

"All right," the girl pulled her own sundress on and they headed toward the dining hall.

The two ate, and swam, and then Miaka returned to the bar to have a drink. She didn't usually drink, but she sort of needed it. Her thoughts were swimming after running into her arch-enemy turned friend and hearing herself described as a lover. She was surprised to see Nakago there as well, dressed to kill, but without the arm candy he'd sported before. He was looking regal and dignified as ever, sipping on a martini.

Miaka sat down at his side. "Gingerale," she decided that it was better not to drink with him around. Blue eyes slipped to his left.

"Miko," he greeted quietly.

"Nakago," she replied, taking her beverage and sipping lightly. He was going to be quiet, well, two could play at that game. They sat in silence for quite a while.

Miaka broke first. "Your girlfriend is pretty," she said. "Where is she?"

"She's not my girlfriend," he replied. "She's with a male friend."

"You're not a couple?" she asked. "You two look good together."

"I look good with anybody," he said vainly with a small smirk. "But no, we are not a couple. She is a business prospect. Being the most accomplished, in other words, the best looking, partner in the firm, I was asked to accompany her. To show her a good time."

"Isn't that like prostitution or something?" she asked, blinking slightly and turning toward him. He remained facing the bar.

"I suppose it is, in a way. Fortunately, she has no interest in me, nor I in her. We make a show of being together during the day, and she goes and joins other men in their rooms at night."

"Where do you go at night?" she looked down at her drink.

"My bed."

Miaka recalled all too vividly their conversation in Kutou where he had revealed his true past with the emperor. She knew the prostitution reference had bothered him, but it was sometimes necessary to push his buttons to get an honest response from him.

"Why did you say we were lovers? You know we've never slept together..."

"We have," he corrected. "Several times we shared a bed in an inn or shared warmth on the ground at night."

"That's hardly sleeping together."

"I said we spent the night together, I did not say slept together, though that is technically true as well. What we did not do is have sex."

"Well why did you lead them to believe we had?"

His eyes slipped to the small form again, an inner battle waging. Was he to reveal his motive? He knew it was almost always best to keep things to himself, but this was Miaka... it was getting increasingly harder to refuse her, especially when he looked in her eyes and saw the emptiness that had been left when Taka died.

"You were getting depressed about Tamahome. The best way to keep you from getting depressed is to make you angry."

"You were... trying to make me feel better?" she asked, hazel eyes confused.

"In a way, I suppose," he finally turned toward her. She felt suddenly small and petty for being so angry. He was trying to make her feel better. She realized that he'd done that during their journey as well. Whenever she began to get depressed or dejected, he would anger her and then she would forget whatever was causing her pain.

"You could have just made a joke, you know," she said pointedly.

"Anger is much more effective. Besides, it's more fun for me."

"Jerk," she didn't mean it. "I haven't seen you in a while..."

"You didn't call. I left my number."

"I know..." she honestly felt bad for that. "I know we sort of had a strange alliance after the last time in the book, but college exams were close, and then I was a freshmen and at my wits end, then... then Taka. I just didn't need anymore complication after that. You did come... to the funeral, though. How did you hear?"

"Yui-sa..." he caught himself. "Yui told Tomo, who promptly called me."

He didn't offer an explaination for why he attended, and she didn't ask for one.

"I should be going to bed... Nifei is probably still waiting up for me. She didn't go to bed until I came in last night either."

"She seems clingy."

"She's a bit, but she's younger than me. She's actually only eighteen. Boy, that makes me feel old. I'm a sophomore this fall and I'm twenty already."

He smiled a little wryly. "We won't begin talking about being old."

"That's right, you're ten years older than me, aren't you? You're THIRTY?! You ARE old!"

He didn't fight the accusation, though he did say that he was still twenty nine for about four more months. "I'm still alive," he commented somewhat dryly. "And you'll be thirty too, someday."

"And then you'll be forty," she danced around his stool. "Wow, you're almost dead, aren't you?"

He stood up. "I think I shall take my leave as well."

"You know, our rooms are right next to eachother," she told him, picking up her purse from the bar and following him. "So we're going the same way."

"That's convenient, I suppose."

"Convenient for what?" she asked suspiciously.

"For peeping, of course," he said blandly. She glared furiously, and then sighed in defeat. Yes, he won, he could be more more irritating than her. They walked on in silence until they reached Miaka's room.

"Here's me," she told him. He stopped and took a step back, looking down at her tiny form, which looked somewhat diminished from when he'd seen her last. She really had lost weight. "I'll see you around, then."

"Yes."

"Maybe... we could have breakfast together? Would your, uh... business friend mind?"

"She'll still be with her own friend until later."

Miaka knew that was his way of saying he accepted her offer. "Meet me here in the morning, then. Not too early."

He nodded and turned to leave.

"Nakago," she said. His head turned slightly, his eyes catching hers. "Thank you," and she hugged him from behind.

"For?" he asked.

"Being here. I thought I was alone, but now I know that I do have friends here." The young woman retreated into her room before he could respond, his body tingling where she had touched him. The former Seishi returned to his own suite, pondering the miko. She seemed softer, no; more breakable than ever. He wondered if he should be careful with her, or if he should let her break and then help pick up the pieces.

He knew she would break eventually. It was just a matter of time. He decided that he should be there for her to pick up the pieces and resolved that despite it being an annoyance, he would keep an eye on her. Seiryu knew she needed somebody to do so. Resigned to his fate of Miko-sitting duty, the former Seishi returned to his room and attempted to sleep.

Miaka, on the other hand, was subjected to a long string of questions concerning Nakago, their real relationship, and a slew of other slightly more personal questions that she didn't really care to answer. The sudden force with which Nifei had bombarded her with questions bothered her. It was almost as if she was jealous, though of her or Nakago, she wasn't sure. It was hours before she managed to get rid of Nifei and go to bed.

"Good morning, Nakago," the young woman stood outside his door alone. She was surprised to see him looking... not his best. "You look horrible," she said bluntly.

He gave her a curt glare and opened the door for her to enter. He was rubbing the sleep from his eyes, his hair in a bizzare half up, half down arrangement. She blushed as she entered, noticing that he was wearing only a pair of red, silk boxers.

"It's six a.m. What are you doing up so early?" he asked, sounding more cranky than usual. Apparently, he had not finished sleeping when she knocked on the door. He disappeared into the bathroom, leaving the door open. She heard him pee and blushed even more brightly. Had he no shame? Honestly!

"You could at least close the door as you urinate."

"In Kutou, one evacuates one's bladder behind a tree. I think having any sort of room between us is a vast improvement."

"In other words, deal with it. Right?"

"Exactly," she heard him flush the toilet and wash his hands, splashing his face a little to wake up. When he returned, he look much more himself. His hair had been finger-combed down into a somewhat more tame arrangement, though he still looked tired.

"Late night?" she asked, stepping aside as he moved into the main room and to his own bedroom, pulling out some clothes from the closet, tossing them on the bed.

"I had a bit of trouble sleeping," he admitted. Actually, he was a fairly frequent insomniac. He tended to keep such strange hours, getting up at all hours of the day and night for various reasons, that when presented with a situation in which going to bed and getting up at the same time each day was little less than required, he had serious problems.

Nakago brushed past the small woman and returned to the bathroom. "I'm showering."

"Do you mind if I watch some television?" she asked as he passed. He shrugged and the door closed. She thought he might hold the record for the fastest shower in Japan. She could have sworn it took him two minutes total to emerge from the bathroom, fully awake, and wearing only a towel.

As he made his way from the bathroom to his bedroom, Miaka's face turned progressively more red by the second. His towel, wrapped low on his waist, was slipping, revealing the barest hint of his firm buttocks. She forced herself not to look as he moved past her.

She glowered when she noticed that he was laughing. He was obviously taking great pleasure in her discomfort. "I'm going downstairs," she huffed.

"That's too bad," he tossed the towel into the hallway. She nearly exploded at the thought of him standing there sans towel. "I'll see you there, then."

The young woman crossed her arms and exited, but unfortunately for her, she saw just the person she was trying to avoid. It seemed for the moment that said person hadn't noticed her, and so she dashed back into the room faster than she'd ever moved.

At that exact moment, Nakago, still in the nude, walked out into the hallway of his suite. Miaka could have sworn that she felt her nose begin to bleed. The former Seishi's eyes widened slightly in surprise before a tiny smirk settled on his lips.

"Y-You're... WHY ARE YOU WALKING AROUND NAKED?!" she whirred around, face as red as the brilliant tapestries hanging in Konan's palace had been. She stiffened when she felt him directly behind her. She peeked upward, and when she saw his devilish grin, she harumphed and took a step toward the door. Nifei was bound to be gone by now... the door was open just a crack, so she wouldn't have to fumble with locks or anything. She could escape her embarrassment.

"It is my suite, afterall," he said smoothly. "I thought you left?"

"I... I did, but..." her explaination was cut off as the door slid open, Nifei standing there before her. Her eyes widened and she whirred around.

"I'm so sorry," she said, her voice holding an edge of something strange. "I didn't... I mean, I thought I saw you, Miaka-san, and then the door was open a crack, and..." she apologized profusely. Suddenly, then. "Miaka-san, why are you here? And why are you naked, Gi-san?" her voice held accusing.

"I came to get him for breakfast," Miaka didn't give him the chance to step in and say they'd made passionate love or something. "And was going to meet him downstairs, but realized I'd forgotten... my handbag!" she lifted it suddenly, even though she'd been carrying it the whole time. "So I came back... then he was standing there..." her face grew red.

Nakago turned, giving Nifei a good view of his perfect, tight butt, causing her to sniff in a dignified manner and look away. "Miaka, I don't like how this relationship is becoming so casual. I don't want to see you get hurt," her voice lowered. "I know men like him... they're all out for one thing."

"Don't be silly, I've known Nakago for ages. He used to be like that, but he's different now. Still, I would appreciate it if he didn't walk around without clothes on!" she shouted toward his bedroom.

"It's my suite," he returned with a chuckle. "If you can't stand the heat," he emerged, now fully dressed. "Stay out of the kitchen."

She flushed again at the mental image that popped into her head of him wearing nothing but an apron, standing, sweaty, over a hot stove. She squeaked and thought of holy things like churches and nuns. "Well, then, we may as well go to breakfast now that we're all here," the young woman said with a sigh. Nifei's cold, annoyed expression dispersed and she was smiling again, holding Miaka's hand and dragging her away down the hall.

Nakago watched with interest as they walked. Something seemed... odd. He ignored it for the moment, but kept the strange feeling of foreboding in the back of his mind.

--------

Author's Notes: Well, I finally finished my first novel, so now I'm back to this story for a while. I promise updates will come more frequently. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think!


	5. 4 Imminent Accident

Chapter Four – Imminent Accident

"Muji-kun!" Miaka cried as their waiter brought out their usual morning feast.

"Miaka... san?" he glanced over and then smiled upon recognizing her. "Good morning."

"A friend of yours, Miaka-san?" she asked. "You're addressing her awfully familiarly, aren't you?"

"It's all right, I don't mind," the young woman smiled. "Muji-kun, this is Sui Nifei, and this is, er..." she glanced to Nakago, realizing that she didn't know he real name.

"Gi Ayuru," he said, all business.

"Right," she glanced over to him. "This is Tsu Muji, everybody."

"How do you know each other? He's just a servant," her voice was cool and calculating. Miaka frowned a little, and Muji looked suddenly downcast. "Is he not?"

"Nifei, that's pretty rude... Muji-kun isn't just a servant, he's a really nice guy. I met him after we arrived. He works in the kitchens, my favorite place!"

Muji smiled slightly when Miaka said he was nice. Nifei may look down on him, but Miaka was more his type anyway. He did wonder about the Gi character. What was his relationship to them? It suddenly hit him that this fellow was the VIP. "Oh! You're the VIP... from the Sui group, right?"

"I am."

"Is there anything I can get you, sir?" he asked helpfully.

"Ask him to sit down," Miaka hissed loudly. Muji tried to decline, saying he had to work. "If anybody complains, they can take it up with, er, Ayuru," she dragged him into the seat beside her and began talking animatedly.

Nifei frowned slightly. Why were so many men interested in Miaka? She knew she was desirable, but really, this was ridiculous. "Muji-san... Do you mind if call you Muji-san?"

"Oh, anything's fine," he smiled. embarrassed.

"Do tell me, what is your interest in Miaka-san?"

"Um..." all eyes turned to him. He began to sweat. "I... she's... a very nice woman... I'm... um... She's a friend so far, but I hope we'll become good friends later."

Miaka smiled, diffusing the strange situation flawlessly. "We will be, Muji-kun!" The young woman narrowed her eyes, even as a huge smile was plastered on her features. What was Nifei playing at, being so rude and asking such personal questions? It bothered her that she would not only subject her friends to such interrogation, as she had the previous night, but that she would do the same to acquaintances with no shame whatsoever.

Muji sat uncomfortably with the group for a few minutes until the ladies excused themselves to go to the restroom. "I should really get back to work..."

Nakago sipped his drink. "Miaka is right. If anyone should complain, direct them to me, and I will deal with it."

"Sir... that's very kind of you, but... not to be rude. Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Yuuki likes you," he said simply.

There was an uncomfortable silence and then Muji cleared his throat. "So... is... Miaka-san... um... is she... that is to say... what is your..."

"We have known each other for five years, though we haven't been in contact for most of the time. She is..." he pondered. What was the miko's relationship? She considered them friends, but he was one to not take such a title for granted. Still, if anybody was a true friend, it was Miaka. "An old friend."

"So she's not your girlfriend?" he asked.

Blue eyes danced with amusement. This young man was entertaining. He was awkward and uncomfortable, but he was attractive and kind - the kind of boy Miaka really could fall for. Unfortunately for him, he didn't think she'd be doing any falling for anybody, after the passing of Taka. "She is not."

"Do you... know Sui-san?"

"Her father is my employer, but we had never met before."

"She's a little... jealous, isn't she?"

"It would seem so," his eyes glanced to the young women approaching in warning. Muji took the hint and stopped talking. He liked this man Ayuru. He was obviously a man with much hidden in his past, but he had an interesting sense of humor, and he was not rude or snobbish, despite being in his position.

"We're back," the former Suzaku no Miko announced. "Did you miss me?"

"I was hoping you fell in," Nakago said smoothly, sipping his wine as she glared.

"So rude," she shook her head and then smiled again. "We were talking about going to the casino later. Would either of you like to join us?"

"I can't afford much gambling..." Muji sighed a little. Anything but gambling.

"Come to think of it, neither can I. Maybe we should get a game of poker going - no money involved, of course."

"Poker?" Nakago's interest seemed piqued. Miaka glanced over and then regretted the suggestion. She was sitting next to a trained liar, and she was going to play poker with him? He had been cunning and easily able to deceive before, but now he was a lawyer – he did it for a living!

"Yes, though perhaps we should use money. Raise the stakes a bit."

"I can't afford that," Miaka said it before Muji could. "Although, we could play teams! If we gather a few more people, we could team up."

"As long as I do not have to be partners with you," the blonde said to her. She stuck her tongue out.

"Just for that, you do have to be my partner, and I'm going to gamble all your money away until you don't even have the clothes on your back anymore."

"You would enjoy that, wouldn't you, Miaka?" the way he said her name made her blink. He had punctuated each syllable, so it sounded somewhat punched: Mi-Ak-A, much in the same way Nuriko said her name when he was feeling particularly silly. Of course, she was acutely aware of the fact that he was making fun of her, but overlooked it, more interested in the sudden shift into... playfulness?

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea," the waiter looked down. If he did lose Nifei's money, he couldn't repay her in a thousand lifetimes. This was really way out of his league.

"How good are you at Poker?" Nifei asked Muji suddenly, her eyes narrowed at Nakago.

"Well, I was in a Poker club in high school." he said, suddenly feeling a little more confident.

"Excellent, you will be my partner. I'm going to the bar to ask if anybody else would like to play. Muji-san, come with me," she didn't ask, she ordered. He wasn't inclined to disobey.

"Teams?" he asked. "I have never heard of Poker played with teams."

"Yui and Tetsuya are horrible, so I would pair up with Tetsuya, Keisuke would pair up with Yui, and... Taka... he was very good. It had to do with money, so he would be," she laughed softly. "Anyway, it's basically the same, except the challenge is that both people have to be able to understand what they're thinking without giving it away with expressions."

"I think we'll have an edge on that front," he said. "As we've known each other for so long."

"I hope all those years at law school were worth it. Nifei is one hell of a gambler."

"We shall see," he took another sip of his drink and then stood, beginning to walk. "Are you coming or not?"

"Where are we going?"

"We're not going to play in here," he said. "There are rooms for this sort of thing, you know."

"I didn't," she stood up and followed. By the time they reached what she assumed was the game room, Nifei and Muji had assembled several more people, including the woman that Nakago had been with before and a man she was obviously interested in, and another couple, plus one more random person. They met together in a little annex off the casino where they were given a new deck of cards and a personal servant who kept them well hydrated.

"Who will deal?" Muji asked.

"You deal," Nifei handed the young man the cards and sat back, taking a long drink from her glass and placing a fierce poker face upon her pretty features.

They began to play. It was an interesting mix. Nifei was as good as Miaka had said, but Nakago was better. Unfortunately, Muji was marginally better than Miaka, who could be read like an open book. They played several hands, and Nakago was down quite a lot, though not as much as some, who had left the game altogether, as it was clearly out of their league.

"I need to use the restroom," the woman Nakago had introduced as Kanu, the woman he was escorting, announced. Nifei agreed, so they dispersed to take a short break.

"Could you please at least try not to be read so easily? I am not made of money, you know."

The young woman suddenly burst out into an evil smile. "Don't you get it? Now everybody thinks they can just look at my face for what's going on. It's the ultimate bluff. When you get a good hand now I can go 'aww...' and look disappointed, everybody will bet enormous amounts, and then I'll look clueless 'oh, I didn't know that was good!' and they'll be none the wiser."

Nakago stared for a moment. That was highly astute considering who it was. It seemed that he had underestimated her again. He, however, was not about to tell her that. "Very well."

"Come on, that's ingenious," she pouted. "Give me some credit!"

"When we have won, then you will receive accolades."

"Be prepared to pay up, then, because I'm not as bad at this as I look."

Everybody returned, and, as per plan, Miaka bluffed like nobody's business, acting clueless after each hand, saying things 'I thought it was good when you had a different card from each suite two numbers apart...' after she had just bluffed hugely.

She didn't do it every hand, so not to raise suspicions, but after a while, everybody but Nifei and Muji had quit because of her expert bluffing. It was impossible to tell when she was being honest in her expressions. Their opponents did not find it too funny. Nakago, on the other hand, was immensely amused. He hadn't thought the miko had it in her to play dirty like that.

Later, after they'd won by a landslide, he said just that.

"Well, the point is to bluff," she shrugged. "That is courtesy of Keisuke. So where are my accolades, Nakago?"

He changed the subject.

"No, you're not getting away that easily," she leaped in front of him, putting his hands on his chest to stop him from walking. He smirked slightly and she blushed, dropping her hands. "A-anyway, just say it. Say Miaka is good at poker!"

"You are sufficient at bluffing," he admitted.

"Close enough," the young woman laughed softly and continued walking again. "It's more than I expected from you, anyway."

"Where did your friends go?" he asked.

"Muji offered to get some Sake for them to drown their sorrows of defeat, so they're drinking somewhere, I'd imagine," she laughed softly. "I'm glad they're getting along better now. I think Nifei needs someone like Muji."

"Indeed," he replied.

"Ah, that's your room," she nodded. "I'll see you later, then?"

"Breakfast again? Though not at six a.m. this time."

"Actually... I think I'll take a rain check..." she knew it was dangerous to turn down Nakago, as he might construe it as rejection and not ask again, but tomorrow was the day of Taka's death. She really just wanted to be alone with her sorrow.

Nakago glanced at his watch and then it all made sense. "Perhaps the day after, then," he replaced his hands in his pockets, standing casually, making no indication whether he'd understood or not.

"Goodnight, Nakago," she said softly. He disappeared into his room. The young woman stood at his door for a few seconds, just staring. She wasn't sure what to make of his casual attitude. Had he understood? Or maybe he didn't really care either way? Confused, the young woman headed for bed, hoping to make the sorrowful day come and go faster.

Nakago didn't see hide nor hair of the miko all day. He'd quite literally bumped into Muji (actually, Muji had bumped into him, dropping a tray of food, but when the boy's boss came out and began to scream at him, Nakago had taken the blame), and he'd seen Nifei glaring from afar several times, but there'd been no sign of Miaka, not even for meals.

He was very, very, very loathe to admit it, but he was worried for her. Taka, they had all been convinced, was meant to be with Miaka, and yet here she was, alone. He wondered what she was doing.

It wasn't until late in the evening that he saw her, and when he did, she seemed to be in a rather unpleasant predicament. She was being escorted up the stairs by a man who looked old enough to be her father. She was being obviously groped and wasn't caring at all.

Nakago's sensible side told him that it really wasn't his business what she did, but hell be damned if he was going to let some old pervert take advantage of her in such a vulnerable state. She would never forgive herself, or him for letting her do such a thing.

"Excuse me," he came up behind the dirty old man. "I believe you're taking something that belongs to me."

"What?" the man grunted.

"That woman, she is my sister."

"Yeah, and she invited me upstairs to her room, so I think you should back off, buddy."

Nakago pulled his hand out of his pocket, "accidentally" dropping his business card on the floor. When he leaned to pick it up, he made sure that the man saw it. "I'm sure you wouldn't want her to cry coercion in the morning," he said smoothly. "As she is intoxicated."

The young woman peeked around the fat old man. "Nakago! What're you doing here?!" she asked loudly, a stupid smile on her face. "Come to join the party?!"

"There will be no party," he took her arm firmly. The old man, who was quite a bit shorter, and didn't look too healthy otherwise, cursed a few times and then disappeared, obviously not wanting to deal with fighting somebody who looked so deadly by nature.

"What'd you do that for, Nakago? I just wanted some company," she frowned angrily as he pulled her along.

"He was going to give you a lot more than company, Suzaku no Miko," he dragged her along and back up to her room. "Why are you acting so foolishly? Is Tamahome worth disgracing yourself?"

"Don't say his name!" she cried suddenly, enraged. "You don't have the right to say his name..."

"Must I stay here and guard the door, or are you going to refrain from going back downstairs?"

"Humph," she crossed her arms. He pushed her gently to her backside on the bed, staring down at her, a concerned frown on his handsome features.

"You deserve better than some one night stand. Would Tamahome have wanted you to go be some floozy just because he died?" he asked.

"I just want some company," she stood up, her face coming dangerously near his. "I guess you'll do. You've been here for a while... I know you..." she wrapped her arms around his neck suddenly, and he was slightly taken aback. Alcohol certainly did strange things to people... "I just want some company," she said again, her voice a bit lower, more clear. Her lips touched his and his eyes widened. She was serious. Drunk, but serious.

"Miaka, you do not want to do this with me. In the morning you will try to either kill yourself or me," he said warningly. She silenced him with her lips and fell to the bed pulling him down on top of herself.

The former Seishi was somewhat at a loss. If he pushed her away right now, she would be outraged and tell him to go, then probably find somebody else, as she was obviously intent on doing this. If he let it continue, they would both regret it severely in the morning. It didn't help that he was slightly drunk, sleep deprived, and probably as lonely as her. Her clumsy touches were tempting.

He pushed her away, sitting up, and she looked hurt. "Why don't you want me? Am I not good enough?"

"There is no question of your appeal, it is simply not wise."

"I never did this with Taka," she murmured, coming up behind him and unbuttoning his shirt - she was rather dexterous for being drunk. "I was with him for so long and I never did this. I would have liked to have been with him... just once. To show him how I really felt. He never knew how I really felt, not really... I don't want to make that mistake again, I want to live life to its fullest."

"There is a difference between living life to its fullest and being blindly promiscuous," he felt his control slipping. Her mouth was on his neck, he could feel her soft breasts, unrestrained beneath the black dress she wore, against his back. Miaka pulled his shirt from his body, pulling him back into the bed, and despite valiant efforts, his control was gone, and his hands began to wander her body as well.


	6. 5 Sick From Sweets

Chapter Five - Sick from Sweets

"My head..." the young woman murmured. "Why is it so bright in here" the young woman glanced around the ceiling tiredly. "Where am I for that matter"

She noticed something stir gently at her side and looked over, aghast. What she saw made her blood run cold. Lying beside her, his arm draped over her naked waist, was Nakago. She made a small shriek and scrambled away. What had she done!

He was still sleeping heavily. She tried to make sense of the situation. She looked down at herself - completely naked - and then at him - naked also. Their clothes were strewn about the room. She couldn't remember anything. The young woman's head swam. Had she... had they...?

Miaka tried to be rational. She remembered going down to the bar to get something to eat without running into Nifei or Muji, or... or Nakago. She had began to drink... and then she hadn't stopped. She didn't remember stopping.

Very vaguely she remembered and exchange on the staircase, possibly with Nakago and some fat old man, but after that things were a blur. Tears began to fall from her eyes. There was no use in denying it. The evidence was clear; they were naked, clothes were everywhere, he was obviously exhausted by the look of it. She began to sob, muffling her cries in the fluffy pillow behind her.

When she felt his hand on her shoulder she jumped. He was looking at her, those glassy blue eyes cool and collected. She returned his gaze with watery eyes. Suddenly, she fell against his bare chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I-I... I'm so stupid... I can't believe I would... and with you... I... W-Why did this happen"

He let her cry, knowing she wasn't just crying for what she perceived to have occurred, but for Tamahome, for herself. She was mourning, and he would let her. After a while she stopped crying, only whimpered and mumbled incoherently, occasionally murmuring things like 'so stupid' and 'can't believe it...'.

"You are rather foolish, aren't you" he said gently.

She looked up. "I'm not in the mood to be made fun of, Nakago... I can't believe... after all that... all that waiting, I would just... throw it away for one night of drunkenness."

"I can't believe you would either. That's why I didn't let you."

"Wh-what" she gasped, her hazel-brown eyes widening, looking up hopefully.

"You were all go, and so was I, but..."

_She laid over him, her soft body pressed against his muscular form. "Take me, please. I don't want to make the same mistake twice."_

_For some reason, the image of Soi popped into his mind. After they'd been reincarnated, they had become something of friends. She had already been married when they met, and she had confided at one point that she wished she had waited for her husband. She hadn't, but she knew she should have. He knew that Miaka was a hell of a lot more guilty by nature than Soi and she would regret this for the rest of her life if he allowed it to continue._

_"The only mistake you made in waiting was trying to throw it all away for your grief" he pushed her away. She looked down._

_"Why"_

_"You will understand in the morning" he turned to her, resting his arm across her waist to keep her from leaving, and closed his eyes. He felt her crying and she drew against him, naked. He knew that they had been very close to making a big mistake._

"You... You stopped me..." she asked, amazed. "I was... completely seducing you and you stopped me? That is... remarkable... Thank you" she whispered.

Suddenly she blushed and ripped the sheet viciously around herself. "You saw me naked"

"And you me" he replied, sitting up. "You were quite impressed."

"I-I..." she blushed darkly. "Jerk."

He laughed softly, his perfect, white teeth showing. She couldn't help noticing how the tight muscles of his abdomen twitched and bounced slightly with his laughter. It was beautiful, everything about it was beautiful.

"But perhaps, now that you're sober" he turned and suddenly pinned her to her back. She blinked up at him, recalling a similar situation in Kutou, though then they'd been clothed. "You wouldn't be opposed to picking up where we left off."

She flushed about seven shades of crimson and then cried out indignantly in anger when she realized that he was teasing her. He chuckled again. "You really did have me going last night. It was rather rude to stop."

"You stopped."

He shrugged.

"Get off me, you jerk" she smiled and pushed him back. He smirked evilly and fell backwards, pulling her on top of him. She blushed again, feeling the sheet slip from between them, leaving them naked flush against each other. "Don't tease me" she sniffed.

Just then, the door opened. "Miaka, there's a phone..." the young woman dropped the phone. "Call..." she stared, aghast.

"It's rude to stare" Nakago smirked again. Miaka squealed, but didn't dare push away, as she knew that the sheet was over her, and if she moved, he would completely flash Nifei.

"I-I'm sorry" she stuttered. "H-Here's the phone, she picked it up and tossed it, running out of the room quickly. From Miaka's perspective, she appeared to be crying.

"Uh... hello" Miaka said, deciding that Nifei could wait and sitting upright across Nakago's stomach, pulling the sheet around herself.

"Miaka" Yui's voice asked on the other end of the line.

"O-Oh, hello, Yui-chan" she was acutely aware of how very ironic it was to be sitting, naked, on top of Nakago while Yui, his miko, was on the phone.

"I was just wondering if you were all right, you know, with... yesterday and all."

"I-I'm fine" she said.

"You're heavy, you know. You're sitting on my diaphragm."

"Miaka, who was that" she gasped. "Sitting on what now"

"Um... it was... the television."

"It was not, there's no other noise in there. Who was it? Tell me" she said all in one breath.

"Promise you won't be mad."

"Why would I be mad" she asked.

Nakago chose that moment to lift her from himself and roll out of bed. "Nakago, put me down"

"Na... kago" the young woman asked. Two angry male voices in the background - apparently her brother and Tetsuya - yelled"What"

"It's... a very long story" she said.

"Nifei said you were still in bed..." and again Miaka heard her brother and brother's friend yell even louder"WHAT"

"It's a long story" she said again. "I... I'll explain later. Why again did you call, Yui-chan" For the first time ever she was annoyed with her friend. She sure could call at the most embarrassing, inconvenient time, and then assume all the worst things (though Miaka probably would have done the same, she admitted).

"I wanted to make sure you were okay after yesterday, but it seems you are. I also wanted to tell you that I found something peculiar."

"Peculiar" she asked, a bit more interested.

"Tetsuya, Keisuke, and I were going through some old boxes in your attic and found a journal of some sort. It, well, it was Taka's. We looked through it, just for old time's sake. We found some interesting entries."

"Like"

"Well, like one about a female student that he'd been tutoring that kissed him. There are other entries about the same girl. Apparently she was four years younger than him. It just seemed like he was writing his annoyance about a silly crush some girl had, but then there were some more strange things. First off, there are entries right before... his death. Let me read one."

"I feel sick every time I leave the student I've been tutoring. I think maybe her cookies are poisoned - he drew a funny face here, I guess he was kidding - because whenever I go over there to help her with her math homework, I feel nauseous and lightheaded by the end."

"I knew he was tutoring some students, but I wonder why he didn't mention this one..."

"This is two weeks later. 'The Student I'm Tutoring visited me again in the hospital,'" Yui read. "She's so distraught over what's happening. She brought me the best cakes I've ever had in my life. I'm going to be fat by the time I get out of here.' He never mentions real names. He refers to you as 'his love' and me as 'love's best friend'. This person is just 'Student I'm Tutoring'. Keisuke is big brother... Tetsuya, love's best friend's love."

"I don't remember seeing anybody at the hospital... I was there most of the time."

"There are some other books and things up here. We're going to dig them all out and see if we can't figure out who this person is."

"It doesn't seem too urgent, Yui-chan, she was just a student he was helping."

"It just seems fishy. Tetsuya agrees. There's this girl that none of us have ever seen, and she's visiting Taka. He didn't start getting sick until he started tutoring her. There's something else. In the margins are strings of numbers, one written by each line. We can't figure out what they mean."

"It was probably just a random number of coins he counted" Miaka blew it off. Truthfully, she was a little bothered by the fact that her friends and family were searching through her beloved's old journals and things. She really just wanted him to rest in peace now. "Well, Nakago is standing here glaring at me to get up" she said, glancing to where the blonde was, indeed, standing and looking rather annoyed and hungry. "So I better get moving. Thanks for calling, Yui-chan."

"Have fun. I'll let you know if I find anything else strange."

"Thanks. Goodbye" she hung up the phone, a little perturbed.

"I'm sure that was an interesting conversation" he said with a small grin. "Not helped by your blurting my name."

"It's reflex" she said, standing up, sheet firmly in place around her body. "When something goes wrong, it's always your fault, so I just instinctively curse your name."

"How kind of you" he replied and sat down on the bed as she disappeared into the bathroom.

"So nothing really happened?" she asked, splashing water on her face.

"That depends on your definition of 'something'. There was kissing and groping involved."

"How much groping?" she stood in the doorway, looking nervous. This was all horribly embarrassing, and that embarrassment was exacerbated by the fact that it was Nakago. Of course, she was glad it was him and not, say, some dirty old man who wouldn't have given going all the way a second thought. She once again found herself grateful to be rescued by him, and yet somehow angry at herself for needing to be rescued.

"Are you sure you want to know?" he asked, seriously for once. Usually he held a bit of sarcastic joking in his voice, but his tone was all business. She swallowed hard and nodded. "You had an orgasm. Two, in fact, if I remember correctly."

"Wh-what?" she nearly fell over. "No way! What did you do, Nakago!"

"Would you like a demonstration?" he smirked. She flushed brightly and stared at him. He chuckled and stood, walking up to her. She looked up, feeling weak in the knees. Had she really? She had had her first... and... she didn't even

remember it?

"Did... did I like it?" she asked timidly.

"I should hope so," he told her. "It was a difficult task."

"Oh, God... I didn't... make you... did I?"

"No, you're far too selfish for that," he complained, nearly pouting. He had pleasured her, but she hadn't reciprocated, and that was annoying. She stepped back and closed the bathroom door, leaving him standing there smirking. She had enjoyed it quite thoroughly. Nakago was rather pleased with himself for that.

Miaka sunk to the floor and stared at he ceiling. How could she? She didn't feel any different, but he didn't seem to be lying. Why had she asked? She sighed and got into the shower, washing herself roughly. She felt horrible for being so easily taken in by him. She had no doubt that he was very skilled, but it was still difficult to believe that she had responded to him so readily that she would orgasm not once, but twice.

Nakago pulled on a pair of pants and began to button his shirt when there was a soft knock at the door. Nifei opened it slowly, peeking in carefully and then sighing when she saw Miaka was no longer atop that man.

"I'm sorry for walking in. Forgive me," she said softly, but in her voice there was a tenseness. She bowed and waited for him to say something.

"Well, you should knock before entering a room," he said simply. She fumed. How dare he! But she only smiled and nodded. "So you and Miaka really are... I mean, she told me she wasn't, but from that... I guess... she lied to me?"

"Miaka doesn't lie. Before last night there was nothing between us, and there still isn't. We simply... romped, not that it's your business."

"Not my...? She's my friend."

"Do you tell your friends of all your sexual encounters?" he asked curiously, picking up his shoes and the remainder of his clothing.

She reddened and turned away. "You're right... it's not my business... But... she's... I just want what's best for her. Not that there's anything wrong with you, Gi-san... I'm just not sure that you're... the absolute best for her..."

"What matters is what she thinks, in the end."

"Nakago, could you get me some underwear from the..." she poked her head out and saw Nifei standing there looking rather like a whipped puppy. "Oh, Nifei."

"I'll get it," she ran to the drawer and pulled out some underwear, handing it to her friend.

Miaka looked at Nakago questioningly for a second before closing the door. He caught her glance and shrugged. The two had come to really communicate silently. It was almost supernatural how they knew what the other was thinking, how they could interpret eachother's glances. It amazed Nifei, in fact. She watched them look to eachother, frowning. He was too close to her. She turned and left silently.

Miaka stepped out of the bathroom.

"What did Yui want?" Nakago asked suddenly.

"She found something of Taka's... a journal that had entries about some student he was tutoring and things like that. They thought it had some suspicious things in it."

"Suspicious how?"

"I'm not sure... it was a little vague. I don't know what to make of it. Right now, I just want to let Taka rest in piece. I don't think he intended to send his friends on a wild goose chase, so it's probably nothing, just what it looks like."

"The circumstances of his death were rather suspect, do you think?" Nakago inquired. "I'm surprised there wasn't more investigation, actually. An inexplicable illness in a man who was probably twenty times healthier than anyone his age is rather strange."

"Don't... don't get involved in this, Nakago. This one is mine."

Nakago waved it off. "Fine. Shall we get breakfast?"

"I think I'll go back to sleep for a while, actually..." she said. "Maybe I'll see you later."

"Are you kicking me out, Miko?" he asked, amused.

"Yes."

Nakago smirked and took his leave silently. Miaka sat down on the bed at began to cry softly, her shoulders shaking. She knew it was suspect. She had said it was supsect, but she had been dismissed. They had said she was trying so hard to find an explanation that she was getting paranoid. And now there was this. She didn't want to put herself through the torture of thinking it again, yet curiousity burned in her.

The young woman laid down on the bed and cried, eventually falling into a few more hours of tortured sleep.

"Nakago!" Miaka called. The tall man turned to regard her. She ran up to him, panting. "You walk too fast!"

"You're too slow and out of shape," he coutnered.

"I'm sorry."

"For?"

"This morning. I'm sorry I kicked you out; it was rude. I just..."

"I understand your grief and have no problem allowing you to mourn."

Miaka smiled and thanked him softly. He understood her emotions so well it was frightening. He knew her inside and out; knew her reactions, her thoughts and fears. It was too much, but in a way, she really enjoyed having somebody know her inside and out like that.

"Excuse me," a tall, beautiful woman spoke.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Miaka bowed low. "I didn't mean to interupt."

"I am curious as to your relationship. Ayuru, she doesn't seem like your type."

Miaka frowned; just what was his type?

"We are only friends."

"I thought as much. Such a small, plain woman doesn't suit you, Ayuru." The name rolled off her tongue like silk. She smirked. Miaka fumed. That witch! How dare she call her plain!

"Neither do I prefer women who exhibit overt hostility toward competition," he said smoothly. "Besides, where some women pay millions to appear beautiful on the outside, some have enough substance to be secure with themselves as they are." The woman frowned darkly and excused herself, storming off. Miaka blinked.

"Wow, you gave her the blowoff bigtime."

He smirked, enjoying his power a little. He wasn't sure why he had said such a thing, however. That woman would have gladly gone to bed with him – and he was feeling a bit edgy since the previous night. However, she was very ugly – beautiful in appearance, but her heart was black. He wasn't sure why he had made such an obvious comparison to Miaka, though, especially since she was standing right there. She, on the other hand, seemed to be none the wiser about the reference.

"You really are desireable, aren't you?"

"You have to ask?"

"I just mean, you don't seem to take advantage of the fact that you're really high society like some of the people I see. You don't use it to get what you want. You don't need to. You have beautiful women all over you and people lining up to employ you, but you don't ask for any of it and you don't even enjoy it."

That wasn't completely true. He did enjoy the power he wielded; he always had. His looks commanded admiration and authority and his position only served to solidify his disireability, and he knew it, and did sometimes take advantage of it, but she was right for the most part; she didn't care for such shallow people. He enjoyed the respect he commanded, but he couldn't have cared less about the hoardes of ass kissers and gold diggers constantly on his tail.

It was at times as such that he really enjoyed the company of a plain, normal person such as Miaka. She was non-pretentious, yet confident, and she knew how to get around in the world without exploting herself or others. It was admirable, to say the least.

"Do you want to go swimming with me?" she asked.

"Don't you realize I'll see you in your bathing suit?"

She blushed a little, but shrugged. "Well, we'll be about even, then."

"Because you walked in on me before?"

Her face flushed brightly, remembering the day before yesterday when she had dove inside to avoid Nifei and had seen him, full frontal, in the hall. "I didn't mean that! I just meant, I rescued you from that floozy and you'll keep me amused for the afternoon."

He smirked. "I don't need rescuing from floozies, but fine, I will humor you, so long as you wear a two piece."

Miaka felt steam coming from her ears. He was being so flirtatious with her. She had never had to deal with such sexual flirting. Most men either saw her as a cute girl and flirted with her accordingly, or went all out and wanted to marry her, such as Taka and Hotohori. Nakago was flirting perversely, almost as if he wanted to make her crazy about him, or perhaps just get her into bed.

"Fine," she said, turning stiffly and going toward the stairs. What a jerk! She would pay him back for his perverseness if it killed her.

-

Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. :3 I enjoyed writing it, that's for sure. Next chapter the action really gets kicking. Look forward to it, and tell me what you thought of this one!


	7. 6 Till Death Do Us Part

Chapter Six – Till Death Do Us Part

Miaka slipped slowly into the water, wading around contently. "Come in, the water's fine!"

Nakago dropped his towel on a chair and proceeded to the high diving board. He climbed the tall tower and Miaka watched with interest. Would he jump from that enormous tower? She expected him to dive in and splash her in the face with a cannon ball, however he bounced once and dove and break neck speed toward the water. She gasped, the world slowing as she watched the sun hit his muscular body. His hands, then head and body skimmed under the shining surface of the water. She blushed as he surfaced, little beads of water clinging to his skin and hair. He looked like a Greek god.

Nakago wiped his eyes and smirked, floating lightly under the robe marking off the diving end and joining her in the shallows. He stood easily where her feet barely touched the pool floor.

"I didn't know you could dive like that."

"I was on the swim team in highschool. I still hold several records."

"Where did you go?"

"Jonan."

"No way!" she cried. "Don't tell me the Gi Ayuru that had the perfect ten in diving and the record time in backstroke and butterfly... don't tell me that was you!"

"You went to Jonan too, that's right," he smirked. "Yes, that was me. You are rather dense if you never made that connection before."

"How should I know? You don't seem like a swimmer..."

"Oh?" he looked curious.

"You seem like more of a chess team sort of guy. You're all about strategy."

"I was on the chess team," he told her. "I won first all three years."

"Anything else?" she asked him, shocked. "Don't tell me you were captain of the American football team..."

"No, I loathe American football. I was the captain of the regular football teami."

"How did you have time to study?"

"I didn't have to practice at sports, I was just good at them," he shrugged lightly, leaning over and floating on his back. He took her arm and kicked them into the deeper waters. Miaka grabbed his stomach and used him as a floatation device.

"What are you doing? I'm not a very good swimmer."

"I know," he said. "I've seen you try to swim before. Remember, in the lake back then?"

"Don't bring that up when I'm holding onto your waist for dear life!" she blushed.

Nakago smirked and righted himself, pulling her little body against his own. She blushed and looked up at him. "What are you...?"

He smirked and dunked her. She came back up, sputtering and cursing. "YOU BASTARD!" she began to chase him, grabbing for his trunks.

"I didn't realize you were so eager to get my pants off," he grinned and swam away. She cursed and paddled after him until they made it to the shallow end again. He sat on the bank and laughed as she doggy paddled toward him, her knees scraping the shallow floor. She crawled over to him and stood up, shaking her fist in his face. He grabbed her waist and pulled her into his lap.

"What are you doing?" she asked again, softer this time. He was acting very strangely. He was acting... almost like a boy, chasing and being chased, laughing and teasing. She liked that side of him, but was scared of it. It wasn't... right. This was Nakago; serious, mean Nakago. She knew not to understimate him, and that he was full of surprises, but usually none so... normal.

He looked down at her, a blank stare meeting her confused gaze. He wasn't sure why he was behaving so childishly. He had dunked her and let her chase him. He had been smiling, laughing even. He hadn't been so carefree in... well, ever. Something about her intoxicated him and made him do stupid things.

"I enjoy shocking you," he told her and released her. She sat on the bank and looked at him. He was staring at the now-darkening sky. They had been out for a while, romping around in the water. They decided to go back.

"Yuuki," he said to her. "Come back to my room for a moment."

"What? Why?" she blinked.

"I want to show you something."

"What?" she asked, suddenly excited. Something for her? She agreed and they headed for the VIP deck. "Nakago, something seems weird... do you feel that?"

He was ahead of her, already looking around. "Your senses have grown more acute. Do you know what it is?"

She shook her head. It chilled her.

"Death." He followed the origin of the vibe back to his own room and opened the door. Miaka screamed when the door opened. There, sprawled on the floor with her limbs and long hair splayed about, eyes staring blankly at them, was Kanu, Nakago's visitor and prospective business customer. Everything seemed to be in order – there was no sign of a struggle.

Miaka turned and buried her head against his chest. That smell... that overwhelming stale smell of death. She tried to hold back tears. She didn't want to see that lack of life. Ever since her last adventure in the book, she'd been more in tune with the life forces of those around her. Those who were alive always had a vague sort of color around them, but death held nothing but blackness. The body was empty; completely devoid of soul. She shivered and began to cry. Nakago led her out and told her to wait there while he got somebody.

"Murder!" Nifei gasped. "Are they sure it wasn't just a heart attack?"

"She was perfectly healthy," Muji shook his head. "I saw her just a few minutes ago... in fact, I was told to deliver a gift to his room not an hour before, and she answered because Gi-san was gone."

"I can't believe it..." she sighed. "I suppose Gi-san is in for questioning? I imagine he's a suspect."

"No, he was with Miaka-san," Muji informed. "They had just arrived back at his room when they found her.

"They were together?" Nifei asked quickly. "Going back to his room?"

"They'd been swimming. Gi-san asked me to get some clothes for her. Speaking of which, that's why I came by. Don't tell anybody about this, okay?"

"Right," she nodded and handed him some dry clothes for Miaka. "Let me know how it's going."

Muji pulled the door shut behind him and went to the investigation office. He knocked on the door and a man in a Hawaiian shirt and sandals let him in. Was this the detective?

"I brought some clothes for Miaka-san," he said, handing the clothes over. Miaka was still wet from having been taken straight to the office from the hall. Her swimsuit had soaked her sun dress and she was shivering. Muji felt a twinge of sadness when he noticed that she was curled up against Nakago, staring blankly forward. Part of it was sadness for her having to see the body, but the other part was sadness for himself – they looked pretty close.

"How's it going? Was the cause of death determined yet?"

"Oh yes, it was definitely murder; death by poisoning," the man sat back in a big office chair and sighed. "In all the years I've been an investigator, I've never seen such a clean crime scene. It appears that somebody delivered a package to Gi-san here, and she opened it and drank the contents – a fine wine.

"The package was for Gi-san?" Muji asked, eyes widening. "Gi-san, is somebody trying to kill you?"

"It wouldn't surprise me," he said non-chalantly.

Miaka looked up at him. "How can you say that so calmly? Somebody tried to kill you!"

"I have made a lot of enemies over the years. I have beaten out many people for government contracts and prestigious positions. It isn't shocking that somebody would try to kill me."

"Doesn't it bother you?"

He looked at her pointedly. Did anything really bother him? She pulled away from him and sat up, taking the clothes and going to the tiny office's bathroom, dressing slowly. Had it really been for Nakago? She was sure the people who's jobs he took were angry, but who would try to kill somebody for it?

"It's sad, but she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The poison wasn't intended for her."

Miaka opened the door suddenly. "Wrong place at the wrong time? What if Nakago had been in that place!" she yelled. "You have to find out who did it before it happens again! They obviously didn't get him!"

"We're doing all we can with rather limited resources. We've dusted for prints – there are no suspicious prints. All have been accounted for in the room, and the package is being examined as we speak.

Muji suddenly got light headed and sat down. Had he...? Had he delivered the package that was meant to kill Gi-san? "I think... I might have delivered the package..."

"What?" Miaka gasped. "You?"

"A package was left anonymously in the galley and I was called specifically to deliver it to his room..." he looked horrified. Had the package he delivered killed her?

"We'll need to get your fingerprints, sir. Come with me."

"Muji! Where are they taking him?"

"For questioning, I imagine," he said, sitting back.

"Nakago, who would... who would really kill you?"

He shrugged and shifted uncomfortably in his wet swimsuit. He imagined he wasn't as uncomfortable as she had been, but he was getting cold and the suit was sticking to him in places he would rather not have had rubbed by moist nylon.

"Let's go," he stood. "I want to look around the room."

"What? But it's a crime zone, they won't let you..." she realized to whom she was speaking and shut her mouth. If anybody could get around that problem, it would be him. They delayed the boat for him, they would let him get his belongings.

Miaka closed her eyes and held to Nakago's arm as they went up the stairs. She couldn't believe somebody had tried to murder him. Why would anybody try to take the life of another? She felt odd clinging to him, but also comforted. Nothing threw him, nothing shocked him, he was as calm and collected as ever, and she really needed that.

"Sir, you can't come in here, it's an investigation area!" a man tried to stand in front of him and stepped aside when he realized how pitifully small he was compared to the tall blonde.

"Gi Ayuru," he murmured. The man immediately straightened. "I am here to collect my belongings. I will obviously not be sleeping here tonight."

They went inside and Nakago looked around slowly at the room. Nothing seemed to be out of place, aside from a lamp that was probably knocked over when she died. There was a purple ribbon lying on the floor next to a cushy easy-chair. He picked it up and examined it. It seemed rather out of place: Kanu certainly hadn't been the type of woman to wear ribbons in her hair.

"Come," he told Miaka, leading her to his bedroom. He slowly packed his things and led her back to her room. She was rather dazed, allowing herself to be pushed along to her room. She wouldn't have even noticed if the Japanese emperor himself had walked right past her. Seeing somebody dead had really thrown her. She hadn't seen somebody dead since Tamahome, and that was an event she didn't wish to relive.

"Go to sleep," he ordered her.

The young woman didn't even protest, only laid down and started crying. Nakago glanced to her for a moment. That woman... she was doing such strange things to him. He had rough housed with her in a pool, splashing and yelling moronically. He had laughed and played with her, and when she saw Kanu dead, he couldn't care a second for the bland woman whose life was lost; all he knew was that Miaka was crying and he wanted to make her feel better. It was a new sensation. He had always considered himself to be unusually aware of the feelings of those around him, but he had also thought himself to be proficient at ignoring said feelings as long as it suited his purpose. However, for some reason when he was with her he felt the urge to make her happy, even if that meant making an ass of himself.

_Don't even think of falling for her, you idiot,_ he chided himself. _It is fruitless. She is too young, too innocent, she doesn't contribute anything to your life._ He knew outright that that wasn't true. When he was with her, he felt like he had a greater motivation to do well, not only in the world of business, but in personal endeavors. He wanted to be better for her; a better person, a kinder, more selfless person so that just maybe he could be somehow worthy of being in the presence of her own selflessness. He was kidding himself thinking that she didn't add anything to him; she did what nobody could. She softened him into something more than the unpleasant cynic he usually was.

He knew for most people this would seem like a good thing, but it was frightening to Nakago. All his life he had used his coldness to keep him from getting too close to people and in turn getting hurt, yet she opened him up without a thought, and made him act stupid and childish and when he was with her, he honestly didn't care.

The blonde sighed deeply. How had that happened? He knew there was no use fighting it. She was infectious and she had planted her seeds and taken root in his very soul, and he knew that once Miaka, the former formidable Suzaku no Miko, had laid roots, there was no weed killer that could exterminate her from her newfound premises. The infuriating thing was that she had no idea what she had done, and most likely did not reciprocate.

Nakago finished packing his things in her drawers and went out to the deck to contemplate this strange twist further. For once in his life, he was totally at a loss.

Miaka yawned and stretched like a cat on the bed. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her bloodshot eyes. She remembered crying and being sad, but it took her a moment to remember why. When she finally did, she began to cry again. How... how could such a thing have happened?

"Yuuki," she heard somebody say smoothly. The young woman looked up.

"Nakago? What are you doing here?" she wiped her eyes.

"How long are you going to continue to uselessly cry?" he asked her, his voice completely cold and devoid of emotion.

She looked at him, confused.

"What good does it do? What good does it do to sit there and weep over something that cannot be repaired. There is no Suzaku and no Seiryuu here. Nothing will bring the dead to life again in this world." He stared down at her crumpled form. She knew he wasn't only talking about Kanu.

"Why are you saying this?" she whimpered. He faltered for a moment, seeing her large, green eyes filled with sadness and tears.

"If it makes you sad, if it makes you angry, find out who did it so they can be punished. What good does crying do anybody? It doesn't bring them back, it doesn't prevent it from happening again, it is completely and totally selfish."

Miaka stared at him, eyes wide. He was right. Kanu had been killed, and it was not an accident. Even if the poison wasn't intended for her, somebody had been trying to kill that night. Miaka didn't want to see anybody else die, especially Nakago. She gasped softly when she realized what she'd just thought. Would she have been so angry if somebody had tried to kill somebody she didn't know? She felt disgusted briefly.

"It's natural to be angry that somebody you knew was killed," he somewhat incorrectly interpreted her expression of horror.

"It's not... because she was killed..." she said softly, feeling nauseous. "It's because they tried to kill you."

Nakago looked at her blankly for a moment, not quite processing the words. How cryptic they were. But he understood at least that she thought of him as somebody worth protecting and would do her damnedest to try. Somehow, that made him feel very warm.

"I'm, uh... I'm going to get dressed," she went to the dresser and pulled some clothes out. It took a moment for her to realize that her clothes were no longer alone in the drawers. "Nakago?"

"Hmm?" he smirked, watching her realize what she'd found.

"Why are your clothes in my drawer?"

"Because I'll be staying here for a while. Meet me for breakfast downstairs." And he was gone, leaving her sputtering angrily, unable to say anything before he departed. Staying with her? Not again!

iWhat we consider football in America is known as American football in Japan. Soccer is simply called football.


	8. 7 Gi Ayuru, PI

Chapter Seven – Gi Ayuru, PI

Miaka wandered downstairs to meet Nakago for breakfast. After he left, she had cried a little more, feeling guilty for caring more that it could have been Nakago than that somebody was actually dead. It scared her to feel that strongly about any one person. She felt that way about Yui, of course, and she had about Tamahome and her other Seishi, but for so long she had cared only about a tight-knit group of people that adding somebody else into, especially when that somebody was Nakago, was frightening.

Granted, she had known she had thought of Nakago as a friend and wanted to protect him. Ever since their last adventure in the book, he had been a protector and friend, any maybe even somewhat of a confidante. Still, she hadn't felt this strongly about a man since Tamahome, and before that it had only been Yui. She wanted him to be safe and the thought of anybody hurting him made her more than scared; it infuriated her.

Nakago was speaking with the chief of investigation when Miaka entered the dining hall. He stood at the bar, a cold, blank look on his features. His blue eyes slid to her smoothly and he excused himself from the conversation, walking toward her, hands in his pockets. He casually walked past her.

"I thought we would eat on deck," he said to her.

"Oh, that sounds nice," she agreed and followed, walking by his side. She glanced up at him, just looking at his profile for a moment. She had never noticed before how graceful the arch of his nose was... She looked away when his gaze moved to hers. He smirked and looked forward again.

"What were you talking about with the investigator?" Miaka questioned, trying to hide her embarrassment at being seen staring.

"They're holding Muji until further investigation can be done. He's suspect because he is the only one that had any contact with Kanu before she died. I am working on getting him out."

"Oh no! Poor Muji!" Miaka said, dismayed. She knew it wasn't him no matter what anybody said. She could tell just by speaking with him that he was a kind and genuine person. "It wasn't him!"

"I know," he said. "But do not worry, I can be most persuasive," he smirked again.

They sat down at one of the little tables. They were beneath a large, red and white striped parasol, shading them from the sun's bright morning rays. Nakago took off the tailored jacket he had been wearing, unbuttoning the top few buttons of his loose, white shirt. Miaka blushed lightly and picked up the menu, hiding her face. She wondered if he knew he was being sexy or if he was simply too warm, and unaware of how blatently sexual his whole person was.

"I think I'll have the waffles," she decided, setting the menu down. "With eggs and bacon. And strawberries."

Nakago set his menu down as well and waved the waiter over. "I will have the sausage and shitake omelet."

"And for the lady?" he inquired politely.

"Waffles with strawberry topping, as well as a side of eggs and bacon," he informed the man, who curtly bowed and scurried away. "You know, you eat more than I do."

Miaka huffed. "Well, I actually do things, unlike you, Mr. Get-My-Coffee-And-Do-Everything-For-Me!"

"I do plenty for myself," he said shortly. If she didn't know any better, she'd say he was pouting.

"Like what?" she challenged. "I work and go to school full time. What do you do?"

"Prosecute a goodly number of high profile criminals, do background research on them and their victims, do research on laws, loopholes that could be a threat... for each case. And, of course, pursue an active social life."

"You poor baby," she cooed. "I have a big appetite, okay?"

Nakago smirked lightly, shrugging. It was so fun to tease her.

"So, Muji," she changed the subject. "You will be able to get him out, right? I mean, we know he didn't do it; why would he want to kill you?"

"Jealousy?" he suggested off-hand.

"Jealous? Of what?" she blinked slowly.

"You are so naïve," he shook his head. "The boy is crazy about you, and along comes a very rich, very handsome, very powerful older man, snatching you away – or so one would think."

"But you're not..." she protested. "Besides, I don't think he would do something like that even if he was jealous. He seems the type to give up."

"I agree," Nakago nodded. "Which is why I do not suspect him. I do think jealousy was behind it, however. It was a very personal crime."

"Personal? How?" she blinked.

"Do you not have eyes, Yuuki?" he questioned.

"Enlighten me, then," she urged him.

"The room was immaculate, meaning the person didn't want to get their hands dirty. A crime of rage or passion, or even insanity, would have left more clues. This was well planned – a bottle of expensive wine. In fact, a type of wine made only by very exclusive companies, one which, I shouldn't have to point out, Kanu or myself might very much appreciate and enjoy."

"So the murderer knew about the target," she said slowly.

"Not only that, it was tied with a ribbon, but no note. The person wanted to leave an ambiguous clue – one that made it obvious it was a calling card, but not obvious enough to tip us off. In some way, our criminal wants to be caught."

"Guilt?" she asked.

"Possibly. Or perhaps he or she simply wants others to know what he or she can do."

"Maybe it was intended for Kanu..." Miaka reasoned.

"Go on."

"Well, it was planned out, right? Everybody knows that Kanu is rich – just look at those diamonds. And for all intents and purposes, you're her lover," she blushed a little as she said it. "You're staying in the same room, you're on eachother's arms in public a lot... Maybe this person didn't want to kill you, they just want you."

"That doesn't bring into account the fact that the bottle was addressed to me," he pointed out.

"Well... maybe they had it delivered at a time they knew you'd be gone. We had been together all afternoon, so maybe the criminal decided that it was the perfect time to strike."

"It seems difficult to fathom such a coincidental chain of events. But perhaps we are off base. It may simply have been a jealous rival for Kanu's business who wanted to scare her away by poisoning me. If the person you're contracting with dies, it hardly leaves a good impression."

"That does seem more likely," she agreed. "Is there anybody on board that you know is a rival?"

Nakago suddenly realized something. There was a woman who was his rival. She was powerful and ruthless, but her business was slowly dying. She had been a competitor for Kanu's account, but he had shamelessly flirted with her until she chose their company. Without Kanu the business was likely to fail. It suddenly occurred to him that she had a son.

"Miaka, what is Muji's last name?" he questioned.

"Um... I think it was... hmm... Tse... Tsa... Tsomething..."

"Tsubara?" he asked.

"I think that was it," she nodded. "Why?"

"Because there was a company that my group put out of business... and the owner has a son named Tsubara Muji."

"Muji?" she gasped. "No way! Why would he admit to bringing the package to your room if he did it? Wouldn't that have been kind of stupid?"

"Guilt, perhaps," he suggested. "I do not know, but this requires further investigation."

Miaka nodded slowly as her waffles were placed before her. The bright sky, the warm morning air, and even the steaming, crispy waffles before her couldn't make her acknowledge that possibility. It couldn't by Muji... it simply couldn't.

Nakago stood. "I am going to look into this." And he was gone.

The former Shogun of Kutou walked slowly toward the office area of the boat, logging into the computer system. It greeted him in a friendly, electronic way, and he accessed the internet. Nakago wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he had a hunch that whatever he was looking for had to do with his job. He had, in fact, received death threats several times before. His firm was a large one, and he was their top prosecutor. He loved his job, but it was risky. If the person he was presecuting, by some small chance, escaped conviction they tended to be a bit angry at the one who tried to send them to jail. Aside from that, he was a part of a unique group of prosecutors that was not only employed by the government, but was also a member of a firm that contracted to prosecute in lawsuits, which tended to be highly enviable positions, meaning many people vying for few positions. Intense competition which he usually won. Needless to say, he had acquired a goodly number of enemies over the years.

The former Seiryu no Seishi logged into the system of his firm, looking at recent competitors and high profile cases. None stood out to him especially, but as he scrolled he noticed that he had indeed won out over Tsubara Mei's group for the bid on Kanu's lawsuit. He may not have found any new evidence but at least he had confirmed one thing: Tsubara Muji had motive.

It wasn't until evening that Miaka saw Nakago again. He had disappeared into the ship's business center and not returned for hours. She had not, in fact, seen him until he burst into her room, dropping his pants and muttering something about damned circular mysteries. Miaka sat down on the large bed. Nakago was walking around in his white shirt and boxers, brushing his teeth and pacing at the same time. She watched him carefully. It was odd how casually he would walk in front of her in his underwear. She almost felt like he was teasing her by doing it.

"Shh," he burbled toothepaste down his chin. "I am thinking."

Miaka giggled and pointed and he looked downward. He went to the sink and spat, splashing his face and rinsing his mouth. He stared into the mirror, still leaning over the sink with his toothebrush in hand.

"My instincts tell me it is not Muji," he concluded.

"But?" she asked.

"But the evidence does," he finshed, straightening and leaning casually against the wall, his eyes staring off into the distance vaguely. "He delivered the package, his fingerprints were on not only the package, but the bottle. He is the son of a woman I put out of business, and he is fairly in love with you. He has all the motive in the world to want to kill me."

"But he acted so surprised... can anybody act that well?" she asked. "Besides, Muji is poor. Even if he did manage to scrape up some money, that was a really expensive wine, right? He couldn't afford it in a thousand years."

"He could have stolen it from the kitchen," he pointed out.

"Places like this keep inventory, especially concerning expensive things like aged wine. It's not easy to steal a fork, let alone a bottle of wine."

"How would you know?" he asked, a little surprised at her insight.

"I worked at a high end restaurant in Yokohama for a summer," she explained. "It was very exclusive. I only got the job because Yui's mother knew the manager from college. They searched me every night before I went home! And they had different people do the inventory than they had working. With expensive things like that, they don't mess around."

He made a soft sound of exasperation. Nakago did not like mystery. He was a stiffler for cold, hard facts and he did not enjoy solving these circular puzzles. His job as a lawyer was not to solve cases but to create arguments. He threw his shirt onto the chair where his pants rested and sat down beside her, looking at the floor.

"Still, something doesn't seem quite right about all this..." he mused.

Miaka blushed and scooted over slightly. "You're not really sleeping here, are you? We have another bedroom."

"If somebody is trying to kill me, especially if they succeed, I would at least like a witness."

"So you'll put me in danger?" she asked. "You jerk. Chivalry my ass..."

"If you wish," he poked her bottom playfully, causing her to sit up straight suddenly. She slapped his arm and then laughed softly.

"Actually, there is a chance," he said, sliding to the far side of the bed and pulling the blankets over his large, well developed form, "That this was a random attack and that they are attacking the people residing in the VIP suites."

Miaka considered his cryptic words for a moment and then blinked. "Are you...?" she turned suddenly toward him. "Are you trying to protect me?"

"No."

Miaka smiled and laid down as well – on top of the covers. "Well, I wasn't worried that you might have died. There, now we're both liars."

"Mule," he muttered, throwing the blankets from himself and onto her, pulling her eggrolled body against his own.

"What are you doing!" she shrieked suddenly, surprised.

"Keeping warm," he said simply and closed his eyes.

Miaka struggled for a few minutes and then gave up. "Jackass," she replied and closed her eyes. "I better not find your hands in my blanket when I wake up."

Miaka awoke, curled against something large and warm. She felt arms encircle her gently and smiled. "Tamahome," she murmured. She nuzzled underneath his chin and wrapped her arms around the form at her side.

The girl slowly opened her eyes, warm and comfortable and content, and what she saw she did not expect. Where she expected to see Tamahome; his turquoise eyes and sea green hair, she instead saw ice and a blonde halo of rumpled, slept-in hair. He looked down at her silently.

"You shifted," he said softly.

She stared at him for a moment, lost in his blue eyes, frozen against that wonderful, beautiful body. She gasped, realizing herself. "You jerk!" she reached up and slapped him, pulling away from his grasp, moving to the far side of the bed and turning away from him. She began to cry softly, her narrow shoulders shaking.

"Pardon me for sleeping," he said sarcastically, looking at her narrow shoulders quivering quickly.

"Shut up," she whispered, pulling her knees to her chest.

"Disappointed that you awoke to find me instead of Tamahome, I suppose," he said more wistfully than he intended.

"You... don't... know me as well..." she hiccupped and coughed, "as you think you do..."

"Enlighten me, Yuuki," he said, sitting up and looking down at her with interest.

"Don't call me Yuuki," she ordered harshly. "My name is Miaka... I don't call you Gi or whatever your last name is."

"That's because you don't know it."

"Don't treat me like somebody you don't even know!" she yelled.

"Fine, Miaka," he punctuated her name in exasperation. "Tell me why you are crying, then."

"I felt so warm and secure... and then I opened my eyes, and it wasn't Tamahome, it was you..."

"You wished it was him," he said simply. "It is understandable."

She shook her head slowly. "I'm crying..." she whispered so softly he had to lean in to hear. "I'm crying because when I saw you... I didn't wish it was Tamahome."

Nakago looked at her carefully. He could easily gather her implication, but he wasn't sure whether or not he believed it exactly. He watched her carefully, and then slowly, very tentatively, reached out and touched her bare shoulder. She flinched at first, and then turned to him, crying softly against his chest, her tiny form completely enveloped by his massive frame.

"I should have wanted it to be him, but... but I didn't... I was thinking 'wow, he sure is gorgeous...' when I should have been thinking about how nobody is as great as Tamahome was... how I should have been missing him, and wanting him... instead... I was happy I was with somebody like you."

The blonde stared down at the quivering ball of young woman resting against him. She had been glad it was him? He was not entirely sure what to make of that.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

She shook her head slightly. "I think... I'm moving on... I'm starting... I'm starting to think that maybe... he was replaceable. I loved him so much... I don't want to think like that. You can't replace a person who's died... I know you can't replace a person who's died... so why... do I feel..." she trailed off. "Why don't I miss him as much when I'm with you?"

Nakago held her silently for a while, staring at the wall across the room, letting her cry. Slowly her sobs trailed away and she turned her back on him again, hiding her face in the pillow. "And now I've made an ass of myself in front of you of all people."

Feeling uncharacteristically as if he needed to say something, the former Shogun pulled her small body against his own gently, wrapping his arms around her, and said: "Those who leave us would not want us to mourn their deaths forever; they would want us to live on. Tamahome has simply let go of you in the next life, so that you can be happy in this one."

"I don't want him to let go," she whispered.

Nakago looked down at her slim form resting against his own muscular body. She really was tiny, he realized. He cupped her naked shoulder. She was wearing baggy pajama pants, but her top was a tight, spaghetti strap tank top, and one of the straps had made its way down her arm. He noticed on the top of her shoulderblade a very faint scar. He touched it lightly, and she shivered.

"Where did you get this?" he asked. "Perhaps my doing, in Hokkan?"

She shook her head. It didn't occur to her that he was referring to Hokkan, the place where he had nearly raped her, while holding her gently in a bed. "My father," she said quietly.

"Your father?"

"My father... he liked to drink. When I was little... two or three maybe, he would get drunk. He wouldn't work, so mom worked all the time, and Keisuke took care of me. Well, he had school, so I was home with him. One day, I spilled juice on the carpet. You know in apartments that they take a deposit for things like that... well, he had had plans for that money after we moved, I guess, so when I ruined the carpet, he got angry..."

Nakago was watching her profile intently, absently stroking the little scar.

"He threw his beer bottle at me, and it knocked me into the coffee table. I fell through the top and broke all the glass. It gave me a concussion," she said to him. "And that scar, where the glass lodged into my shoulder."

"Your father abused you?" he questioned.

"Not long," she shook her head. "He beat me up a couple of times, but then he died. I thought it was my fault," she laughed softly. "Because I wasn't smart enough or good enough; because I complained about mom being gone."

"Did your mother know?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "He always said I got hurt in the park, or climbing on high things, because I was so clumsy. I was clumsy... it wasn't a hard lie to drive home. I guess that's why I always act cheerful when I'm not; then it was so she wouldn't find out about what he did and now it's habit."

"Do you have others?" he asked.

"Scars?"

He made a soft sound of affirmation. She sat up slowly. "Yes... they're faded now, though. It's really no big deal. They're really fine because he..." she trailed off. Slowly, she pushed the straps of her shirt down, letting the material fall away from her body. Nakago stared at her creamy white flesh. It was beautiful, and yet, with the sunlight coming in through the window, with the closeness of her body to his eyes, he saw dozens of tiny scars on her back. They were faded into near nonexistance, and they were very fine, almost as if cut by a knife or a razor, but they were there.

"See, it's not that bad. He always made sure mom never saw, and if she did when changing my clothes or giving me a bath, he would always say that the cat scratched me or something. It really wasn't that bad... I mean, at least I knew my father for a while, unlike Yui."

She tensed when she felt his surprisingly soft fingertips tracing the pale etching on her skin. The light sensation tickled and unnerved her. She sat there, her arms covering her chest, and he looked at her back, covered with healed wounds. She tensed further when she felt him get to his knees behind her and wrap his arms around her tiny frame.

"What are you...?" she asked softly.

"You are quite remarkable, Suzaku no Miko." Her scars, in a way, were an outward representation of her life, and in some ways, of his. The reminders of the abuse would never completely disappear; the memories would always be there, because they happened, but eventually they would fade until they were just another part of who she was, and of who he was.

Nakago was quite aware that he had been wounded many times throughout his past life, and even a fair amount during the current. He had, at times, felt shame at his wounds, at what they had forced him to become. He knew he couldn't blame what he had done on what had been done to him, but he knew that the person he was was a result of his past. However, Miaka had battle scars as well. She had not always been the perfect, cheerful girl that she appeared to be, but she had moved on. Perhaps she held the secret to healing his own wounds.

Silently, he pulled her onto the bed so she faced him and brushed the loose russet strands away from her pale face. She looked up at him and suddenly felt very warm as his hands gently grasped her neck and his lips met hers. Her hazel eyes widened in shock, but his hands, so delicately stroking the nape of her neck, his lips, soft and heated comforted her in a way she had missed since Tamahome's death. Before she could think any more, her eyes slipped shut, and her mouth opened slightly, and she knew that something very important had just happened.


	9. 8 Revelation

Chapter Eight – Revelation

Miaka pulled away slowly from his warm embrace and stared into his cerulean eyes. She raised her hands to cover her exposed breasts and opened and closed her mouth like a floundering fish. "What..." she stammered, taken aback. "What just happened?"

"Do you need a recap?" he asked, touching her chin lightly, brushing his lips over hers again. She drew a soft breath and this time her lips caught his, her hands dropping away from her chest. He took her wrists into one of his hands and lightly ran his other hand across her collar bones and then downward gradually, as if asking for permission. Finally, he reached her breast and grasped one. She tensed briefly, her kiss halting, but relaxed again as his thumb began to caress her.

Miaka pulled her mouth from his and leaned against him, eyes staring at the wall, her hands still clasped together by his powerful grip. She felt helpless, yet not in danger. She knew this should unnerve her, because of Hokkan, because of everything she knew of him, but at the same time, because of everything she knew of him, she knew that he wouldn't hurt her. He released her hands and breast, wrapping his arms around her, and they rested against each other in silence for a long while.

Finally, he spoke. "I apologize."

"Why?" she questioned, not moving.

"I did not ask permission. I have you at a disadvantage."

"I didn't mind," she admitted, and there was silence again. Her mind was racing. He had kissed her. Her mind scanned possible ulterior motives and came up with none. Either he was incredibly horny and desperate and was hitting on his friend, or was actually attracted to her. She found the former to be out of character and the latter to be... unbelievable. How could such a handsome, successful man – one that was Nakago, her former enemy, now friend and more – be attracted to such a plain, poor and boring young woman such as herself? It was difficult to fathom. "Do you... like me?" she asked quietly.

"Are you simple?" he replied just as quietly.

She pulled away and looked up at him, confused, question in her vulnerable gaze. She had not kissed another man since Tamahome. She had never been touched so intimately. Though she and Tamahome had been close, they had not gone very far physically. They both knew that should they have gotten too far, it would have been difficult to stop, so they avoided that problem by avoiding the situation almost entirely. They had, of course, been engaged to be married, and the date had been set for not too soon after he had passed, but since they never made it to the wedding, they never made it very far with each other's bodies. And she had allowed Nakago. She felt ill suddenly. Had she really wanted to wait until she was married, or had she simply been afraid to give herself so completely to Tamahome? Why did she find the prospect of Nakago actually less frightening? It seemed counterintuitive.

"Despite appearances," he frowned, the little wrinkle between his brows appearing. "I am not the type to prostitute myself for simple pleasure, and even if I were I wouldn't even attempt on you. For one, you are far more likely to refuse me than just about any other woman alive. Secondly, I respect you far too much to be physical with you for the sake of physical aspect alone."

"Really?" she asked. "So, then... that means that you kissed me because you... find me attractive?" she fished, hoping to draw the answer from him.

"If it were only that, I would not have done so. I found Kanu attractive. I find many women attractive, however I do not grope all of them."

"I should hope not," she giggled.

He smirked a little, but didn't respond otherwise. She sighed, knowing she would have to drag the truth from him. "So then why did you kiss me? Opportunity? To make me feel better? Flirting?" She was beginning to think he was being amused by her wild guessing.

"I kissed you because..." he trailed off. "I am not sure."

"You're not sure?" she blinked. "You're never not sure. Are you feeling okay?" she reached up to check his temperature, but he caught her wrist and kissed it gently.

"Perhaps because you are the only person who has truly put me at ease," he said softly against her skin, his eyes peering up at her. "Or because you are the only person who knows of what I am and what I was, and has allowed me to get close to them despite it."

She knew what he meant. If she, who had been so hurt and traumatized by him could forgive him, if she could look beyond it even though she had been on the receiving end of so much pain directly because of him, then perhaps there was hope. He had hurt her best friend, he had killed her seishi, he had destroyed two nations, he had tried to rape her, yet she had looked past it and tried to help him. She had, in fact, dared to love him as a friend. He found her amazing. What he didn't understand was that this was the kind of compassion she offered freely to everybody, not just to him. That wasn't to say she didn't feel for him, but she thought that perhaps he was loving her for the wrong reasons.

"Is that all?" she asked him.

"Is that not enough?" he asked, slightly confused.

"I'm not... it's not that I don't care about you, but... I think maybe you..."

"Love you?" he questioned, slyly throwing the word in to gauge her reaction. She hesitated.

"Maybe you love me for the wrong reasons?" she suggested. "I care about you, but I didn't want to befriend you and forgive you because of that, I did that because you're human. I don't want you to think that... it was because I..." she hesitated again, feeling naked for more than her lack of clothing. "Because I fell for you. I forgave you because you're human and I fell for you because... of who you are now."

"You think my affections so shallow?" he inquired.

"Am I wrong?"

"We shall assume for the moment that I am in love with you," he said, averting his eyes toward the wall for a moment. "It is impressive that you are forgiving and that you found it in your heart to befriend someone such as myself, however, I would not care for you simply because you did that for me, but because you have the capacity to do it for everybody, just happening to include myself. It is remarkable. You harbor no hatred for those who have wronged you, which is more than I can say for myself. It is your character that I am attracted to, not simply the fact that the beauty of character is directed at me."

"Nakago..." she murmured. He smiled vaguely. She still called him that. "I'm hungry."

Had it been anime, and had he been a slightly less inhibited character, he would have fallen over, feet twitching in the air. As it stood, he sighed with amusement, not without a bit of exasperation, and stood up. She pulled her top back on.

"So what does this mean?" Miaka asked. "What are we, now?"

"As per the usual routine, I will be courting you, beginning today." Miaka was amused by the fact that he simply told her what would happen. It was so... Nakago. Nakago didn't ask, he did, and that was part of why she liked him. It was frustrating at times, but also rather assuring, because she knew that she was in capable hands with him. She had always felt safe with Tamahome, but there had been a different dynamic. Neither had ever wanted to concede control to the other. With Nakago, she was content to let him take the wheel for a while, and knew that, despite appearances, he would allow her the same luxury.

"I am going to take a shower," he told her, going into the bathroom. Miaka went over to the extra bedroom and did the same. She was bombarded by a flurry of questions from Nifei as she passed, but was mostly too euphoric to pay it any mind. She had, at times, feared that she would never feel this excitement or anything close to it again. After Tamahome died, her life had ended for a long time, but it seemed like Nakago had been the broom and dustpan for her broken life, and perhaps would now be the glue that would make her whole again. She could only hope, and pray.

Nakago went to the window of the main room, passing Nifei with a nod, and looked outside. The sky was dull and grey and it looked like rain. He knew he would be on the deck because he needed to speak to the captain so he went to get his coat, only to find it wasn't where he had left it.

"Miko," he called to Miaka. "Did you move my coat?"

Miaka stepped out of Nifei's room, wearing only a bathrobe, hair dripping on the carpet. "I haven't seen it. Did you leave it in your room?"

"I took it in for cleaning," Nifei said suddenly. "I'm sorry. I spilled some wine on it and it looked like it might stain so I took it to be cleaned. It should be back later. Do you want me to bring it to you when it's finished?"

"Yes," he said curtly.

Miaka went into her room and closed the door in Nakago's face with a small smile. She dropped her bathrobe and began to dress when Nakago walked into the room behind her. She stared, eyes wide, as he walked past her.

"N-Nakago!" she cried, diving behind the bed. "I'm naked!"

"So?" he retorted, a small smile playing at his lips. "It's nothing I haven't seen before, if you will recall."

"I'm not going to let you see me naked any old time!" she cried, indignant at his intrusion. "What do you want, anyway?"

"There is something suspicious about Nifei," he said. "I don't trust her."

"Why not?" Miaka asked. "She's a little clingy, but mostly harmless. I think she has a crush on you."

"I doubt it," he mused aloud. "But perhaps I am imagining it."

"Why would you be?" she asked, turning away and putting her bra on. "Maybe you're right..." she pulled her shirt on.

"Jealousy," he shrugged. "You were spending a lot of time with her."

"Just how long have you... you know... felt something for me?" she asked suddenly, pulling her underwear on and standing up.

"Define something. I have felt things for you since I knew you. I hated you at first, and then I didn't hate you, but grudgingly accepted, and then I liked you, and now..."

"How long have you... loved me?"

"Who says I love you?" he asked.

"But you said earlier..." she trailed off, looking confused.

"I said hypothetically speaking, I didn't say I did. You intrigue me, Miko-chan, but I am not so quick to profess undying love, even to you," he pulled his shoes on. Miaka pulled on a pair of jeans and slipped on some flip flops.

"So you're intrigued by me?" she blinked.

"Do you have a problem with that?" he stood beside her as she brushed out her hair and got ready to dry it.

Miaka considered. He didn't love her, necessarily, but he didn't not love her. Whatever it was, it was more than physical attraction, but less than undying devotion. Her eyes slid to the side and she looked at his beautiful reflection in the mirror. He did the same, smirking.

"I suppose we can play it by ear," she said. She knew Nakago, though an unusual prodigy in some ways, was also a little slower in others, and that it would take time for him to admit what she could sense was there. In the meantime, she would just continue to be herself to him and hope things didn't get out of hand. She liked him, maybe even loved him, but she didn't think she was ready for the pace of a Nakago romance. She had a suspicion that Nakago was a very physical person.

Her suspicion was proved correct when he swooped down, knocking the dryer from her hand, and kissed her. Her eyes widened and she stared up at him. He smirked and lifted her onto the edge of the counter, sliding between her legs. She blushed to the roots of her hair. One finger ran quickly up her spine, causing her to arch suddenly. She had to struggle to regain herself.

"WHAT are you doing?" she demanded, pushing him away, trying to look angry, even though she was more surprised and turned on than angry.

He grinned. "There is definite potential here."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she slid off the counter, but was only successful in getting closer to Nakago's hips. She blushed and wiggled to the other side of him.

"It means that you are not as cold as I would have imagined. I thought that perhaps your inexperience would keep you frightened enough to keep your distance, but you are fearless as usual. But how far will you allow me to go?" his icy eyes followed her unnervingly.

Miaka blushed further and turned on the hair dryer before she had to answer. She had doubted her control with Tamahome, who, she knew, was also a virgin, and rather clumsy at that. Nakago, on the other hand, obviously knew what he was doing, and knew exactly what to do to make her lose her mind. She had severe doubts about her own control in the beautiful face of somebody who likely could have been a god of sex in a past life. She was a little nervous about sharing a bed with him, now that she realized that he would be pursuing her, in more than one way.

Nakago watched her dry her hair with amusement. The wary look on her face was priceless, almost as if she thought he would pounce her and pleasure her to death or something.

"Well, let's get going," Miaka said. "I'm starving. I can't wait to have breakfast. I think I'm going to have pancakes, and a muffin, and eggs, oh, and some bacon... mmmm..." she fantasized as she headed for the door. Nakago took her arm in his suddenly and she looked up. He looked so very non-chalant and regal, and Miaka felt comforted, somehow. She leaned against him slightly as they walked. From the end of the hall, a pair of narrow eyes watched angrily.

"Tsubara Muji was charged with the murder today," the investigator told Nakago some time later that day. They had been heading toward the indoor tennis courts when they were approached. "It is the only plausible solution. After he was released last night there was another murder in the VIP section."

"I don't believe it," Miaka protested. "You've got the wrong person. Muji wouldn't do it."

"We have motive, means, and we found the murder weapon in his quarters. He used a lethal dose of ordinary medicine."

"What kind of medicine?" Nakago asked.

"An anti-coagulant. It thinned her blood to the point of being unable to absorb enough oxygen."

"Have you done an autopsy, then?" he questioned.

"No, but the medicine bottle was nearly empty and it is consistent with the death and lack of struggle. Look, even without the physical evidence, there was motive, there was means, and there was the fact that another death was discovered after he was released last night."

"Why was he released if he's a suspect?"

"An anonymous note was sent in, saying he had an alibi, so we let him go. I wish we hadn't," he sighed. "Another death because of our gullibility."

"I can't believe this," Miaka shook her head stubbornly. "Why would he kill another passenger? I can understand motive for attempting to kill Nakago, but why the other? And wouldn't Kanu have tasted the medicine in the wine? It doesn't make sense."

"Sorry, little lady," he patted her head and she frowned at his patronizing smile. "But these are the facts. Unless new evidence is brought forth, Muji is going to spend his life in jail."

The inspector left the two alone and they continued, now more slowly, toward the tennis courts. Miaka was in shock. "I'm not wrong," she said.

"I know," he agreed. "But there is no evidence to prove otherwise. The only thing that will get Muji off would be finding the actual murderer.

"Who else could have done this? And why? Maybe it really wasn't just you, maybe it was just a random attack?"

"Let us investigate," Nakago said. "We will visit the crime scene."

"Do you think we'll find anything?" the young woman asked. "If it's as immaculate as the last, there probably won't be anything."

"Unless they got careless," he pointed out.

Miaka nodded and they were headed back toward the VIP deck when a young man ran after Nakago. "Gi-san!" he called. "Gi-san, wait!"

"Yes?" he turned.

"I have something for you," the man reached into his breast pocket. Miaka gasped, her mind immediately formulating multiple unfortunate scenarios involving Nakago ending up dead. She stepped in front of him defensively.

The man pulled out a white envelope and Miaka almost fell over.

"It's a ticket for your coat, Gi-san. Sui-san was unavoidably detained in a meeting with some of her father's employees, but she asked me to give you the ticket."

"Thank you," he said and pocketed it, continuing.

"Why don't you go on without me?" Miaka suggested suddenly. "I'm not really feeling up to seeing another body."

"I'm sure the body has been removed," he pointed out. She continued to look worried. He sighed and handed her the envelope. "I will meet you on the deck shortly to speak to the captain. In the meantime, feel free to retrieve my coat."

"Thanks," she said sarcastically, but was glad for the out. "I'll see you soon."

Miaka headed toward the cleaning services. A strange feeling came over her as Nakago left. She felt like something bad was going to happen. She decided to hurry and get back to Nakago as soon as possible. She picked up the coat, thanked the cleaner, and instead of going to the deck, went directly to the VIP hall.

"This coat weighs a thousand pounds," she complained to herself. She was having a hard time holding it, so she put it on it hopes that it would more evenly distribute the weight. She walked up the stairs and walked down the hall. She wished she knew toward which room she was headed. She saw Nakago open the door and exit one of the rooms.

"Did you find anything?" she came up to him. He chuckled a little at her tiny self attempting to fill out his huge coat. She was a tiny, completely Japanese woman, and he was a fairly large man partially of Scandinavian descent. It was a little ridiculous.

"Just this," he held up another piece of violet ribbon, pocketing it. "Why are you wearing my coat? You look ridiculous."

"Excuse me for not being a Viking," she stuck her tongue out. "But actually, it's kind of comfortable. I think I'll keep it."

"I think not," he caught the belt and pulled her against himself. She squealed and laughed and he picked her up, throwing her tiny form over his shoulder. She giggled and struggled and he carried her up to the deck, eventually setting her down again. "Keep it," he said, walking toward where the captain was dining. Miaka stood by the railing, looking out over the ocean. She felt a vague unease as she stared out over the waters. She had had a dream like this, hadn't she? She had been swallowed by the sea. But that was only a dream, she told herself.

The young woman glanced over at Nakago. She couldn't believe how soft he could be with her. She wondered if maybe this was the man that had been inside all along, but that had been hardened and hidden by the past. She wondered if, without everything that had happened, if he would be as care free and kind as she. She supposed it didn't matter. What mattered was that he had changed and he cared for her. It was no less confusing, but it helped to know she wasn't losing her mind entirely by falling for him.

Nakago was going over to ask for a passenger list when his heart clenched. Something wasn't right. He made a one-eighty and headed toward Miaka, but too slowly. Before he could think another thought, something had exploded and a shrill shriek pierced the air. Miaka had been blasted overboard.


	10. 9 Two For Tragedy

Chapter Nine – Two for Tragedy

Nakago had headed toward Miaka just in time to see an explosion that sent her flying overboard. He didn't know where it had come from, but for the first time in a long while, his heart clenched with fear. She could be dead. The thought made him feel ill. With barely a thought to consequence he dove in after her. As his body hit the ice cold water he opened his eyes and maneuvered around gracefully, searching for the lost young woman.

He reached out his senses for her distinct aura but felt nothing. This could not have happened. His mind began to fog with panic, but he forced himself to calm. Panic would only hurt his chances of finding her. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to float. He vaguely heard the people on deck yelling man overboard. He listened to every movement; the fish, the rushing of the boat is it was ground to a slow halt. Suddenly, he heard a tiny movement, a soft thud that could only be classified as a Miaka sound, and he looked down and to the right and there she was, slowly sinking into the abyss, her body hitting everything it passed.

He dove for her, determined to save her if it was the last thing he did. With the speed of a trained swimmer, he reached her, and with the strength and determination of two lifetimes, he pulled her to the surface. An inner tube was thrown to them and they were dragged back on board.

Nakago set the injured woman on the deck and checked her vitals. She had no pulse, she wasn't breathing, and she was bleeding profusely. Calmly, he turned to the man beside him. "She needs a doctor, quickly."

"Yes, sir!" the man ran off to find one. Nakago removed the soaking wet and shredded coat from her body so she wouldn't get tangled in it, and leaned down and clasped her nose, breathing into her mouth, then placing his hands onto her chest and compressing several times. He breathed into her again, transferring all the strength he could muster to her. Ever since the little excursion in the book with Miaka, he had found that he had more control over his chi than he had previously. He had done some research and discovered that most of the Seishi that had been resurrected had gained some of their past power in their life, most notably Nuriko, who had suddenly regained his old strength, or so Tomo had told him. Whatever the cause, he was thankful for it, and forced his chi into Miaka's cold, limp body.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and she opened her mouth in a silent scream. Nakago turned her to her side and hit her back until she began to cough up the water she had inhaled. After she finished choking he laid her down in his lap, trying to warm her. Though it was summer, the northern waters were still chilly, and she was already in shock because of the suddenly loss of blood.

"She's seizing!" somebody yelled as the doctor came onto deck. The doctor, a tall, comely woman advised the passengers to step back.

"Are you her husband?" the woman asked, looking at the wet Nakago trying unsuccessfully to look unconcerned.

"We are not married, but..." he trailed off. What were they? They weren't exactly lovers, and he seemed a bit old to be referred to as her boyfriend. He chuckled darkly. Now was not the time to be thinking of this. If she didn't live he wouldn't have to worry about what their technical label was. He would be widowed before they even had a chance to consider marriage.

Nakago blinked. Where had that thought come from?

"Brace her head," the doctor said gently as Miaka's body shook violently. "I will keep her from jarring the injury. Now, tell me what happened."

"There was an explosion," he said flatly. "She was thrown overboard. When she surfaced she was not breathing, so I did CPR."

"You did a good job, um, Mr.?"

"Gi," he replied.

"Gi-san," she smiled. "All right, she's stopped seizing, let's get her to the medical wing. Can you lift her to the gurney?"

He nodded and gently lifted her onto the stiff cot, and some of the medical staff carried her away.

"What is the girl's name?" the woman asked as they followed the staff. "We need her medical records."

"Yuuki Miaka," he replied.

"Miaka is going to be just fine," she smiled. "I can tell, she's a fighter."

"You have no idea..."

Miaka had been taken in for emergency surgery. The explosion had given her a few mild burns on her legs and arms and had lodged some shrapnel into her abdomen. The doctor had told Nakago that the injuries were severe, but that she had a good prognosis. She was healthy and strong and would probably make a full recovery, with the right care. Nakago stood outside the operating room quietly. He was worried, admittedly, but he was not going to show it. He watched the clock surreptitiously, silently willing it to move faster.

He sighed and eventually sat down, weary and distraught. He hated the fact that he was so attached to the waif of a girl, but he was. It was a cruel twist of irony that the one person (well, she had been on the top three) he would have loved to see dead in his past life was now desperately hanging onto her life, and was the one person, now, that he would most like to see live. The kicker was that there was nothing he could do. He had been boxed out of the operating room by the doctor in her gentle-but-definite way and had not been inclined to argue. He had known of many instances where people who had done such a thing had been arrested and he was not eager to be that much further from her.

The former Shogun glared at the clock again. It had only been fifteen minutes. He closed his eyes in an attempt to ignore the painfully slow passage of time, but all he could see was Miaka being blown overboard again and again, though this time not coming up, just dying there, alone in the water. Where had the explosion come from, he wondered. The deck had not been notably damaged, so that meant that the device had to have been... in his coat? He swore to himself and stood up. Miaka had taken the explosion meant for him. But who could have planted such a thing without his knowing? He surely would have noticed if somebody had touched him or his coat.

But it had been at the cleaners. Nifei had taken it to the cleaners and then Miaka had picked it up. Perhaps somebody in the laundry had done it? But who would, and why? He paced back and forth in front of the operating room doors. The first murder had occurred by wine, taken from the pantry, and the next one had been a similar care package. Nakago put his hand in his pocket and removed the purple ribbon he had found. He wondered if he would find the same calling card at the scene of this crime. One of the employees walked by and Nakago grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Sir?" the young man asked.

"Go to the main deck. There was an accident there. I want you to bring the remainder of the coat the victim was wearing to me."

"Why, sir?" he questioned.

"It's my coat."

The man nodded and trotted off to do so. Nakago sat down once again. After what seemed like eternity and a few hours, the doctor came out with a tired smile on her face. "She's okay," she said.

Nakago involuntarily relaxed.

"The explosion caused some minor burns on her legs and abdomen, and her left hand, and lodged some shrapnel into her. I managed to clean the wounds and dress them, and get all of the debris. However..."

Nakago stood up. "However?"

"There was a lot of damage to her abdomen. Some of the pieces were lodged in her uterus and fallopian tubes. Now, she's going to live, but... there will probably be some scarring internally, and, well... there's no easy way to say this. There's a 70 chance that she will never be able to have children. I'm sorry."

The blonde could only nod. It was like the floor had dropped out from beneath him and he was left, unsupported by anything but his own waning strength. This would devastate her. He knew that she loved children and had always wanted them, and to be unable to bear them... it would break her heart.

"I can tell her, or you can, if you think it will be easier on her," the doctor said, pulling off her operating gown and gloves.

"I will tell her," he said quietly. "Can I see her?"

"She's being moved to recovery right now. I'll take you in there."

Nakago was taken to the recovery room and walked numbly toward her. She looked even tinier than usual. She was pale from blood loss, and was wrapped in bandages. He touched her hand and her eyes slowly opened. She smiled. "Nakago."

"Miaka," he nodded.

"I feel like I've been hit by a truck or twelve," she laughed weakly, grimacing as the movement caused her more pain that she expected. "How are you? You're wet."

He hadn't even noticed that he was still wet.

"You should change... you'll catch a cold."

"No, I won't," he said quietly.

"You're not invincible, stupid," she said with a smile.

"I won't get a cold because I wasn't exposed to the virus," he said flatly. She laughed again and then whimpered in pain.

"Stay here," he said, not without a little amusement, while he went to find the doctor. She tried not to laugh. He happened upon her doing dictation. "Is there anything more you can give her for the pain?"

"I'm afraid not," she said. "She's a small girl on a very high dose of pain medication. Anything more and she won't be lucid at all."

He nodded and returned to Miaka, pulling up a chair to her side and sitting down. She opened her eyes again, smiling and reaching for his hand. "The doctor told me you saved me," she said. "That you pulled me out and did CPR."

He nodded silently.

"Thank you."

"You would do the same for me, I'm sure," he said to her, avoiding her gaze.

She knew something was wrong by the way he wouldn't look at her. "What did the doctor say about me? Am I going to be okay."

"You'll live," he said.

"That's good to know," she chuckled slightly. "Am I going to work correctly? I'll be able to walk and everything, right?"

Nakago looked down.

"Nakago? What is it?" she questioned. "What did the doctor say?"

"You'll be able to walk. You only sustained some minor burns on your legs."

"Then why does it feel like somebody just walked over my grave?" she looked pleadingly at him. "Nakago... tell me. Please."

He took her hand more firmly in his, placing the other on top. "The doctor said," he began quietly. "That while you will recover, it's likely that your reproductive organs were permanently damaged."

"Meaning?" she asked, feeling nauseated.

"There is a good chance that you will never be able to bear children."

"Oh..." she said. "Is that all?"

"That is what the doctor said."

"Well, I guess I'm lucky. I could be dead, right?" she laughed in a strained sort of way. "I'm alive and that's what matters. I think... I'm tired. I'm going to sleep for a while, Nakago. Could you leave me alone?"

He nodded and stood up, looking down at her with concern. The second he was out of sight he heard her begin to sob.

Miaka felt her stomach drop at his words: a good chance. How good of a chance was there? How could the word good be placed in that sentence? Her thoughts began to race. She was supposed to have children. She knew that something important hinged on her having a child; had known that since she had been drawn into the book the first time. She felt her eyes welling with tears and rattled off some lines about being lucky to be alive and sent Nakago off. The second he was out of sight she began to cry.

She wanted to bury herself in a hole and never emerge. Whoever had been trying to kill Nakago had, in a way, killed her instead. She wanted children. She knew she needed children; maybe just one, and she knew it had to happen, but now it couldn't. She felt like she had failed fate.

She had had a vision before. She had been walking through a beautiful place, with trees and flowers and flowing water, and she had been with all the people she loved, and as she walked things began to disappear in a void. It wasn't as if the light had simply caused things to disappear; it was as if reality itself were disappearing beneath her feet, and suddenly she was left all alone. There was a faint star in the distance, and as she sunk further down in despair, it disappeared. She didn't know what it meant, but it had haunted her.

Now, she was left with confusion and the possibility that she would be unable to procreate. She felt so very lost. She wished Tamahome were with her to comfort her and help her know what to do, but instead she was alone. She closed her eyes and shook with pain and sorrow until she was exhausted, and fell into restless sleep.

"Miaka," a gentle voice called. "Miaka."

"Who's there?" she asked. "Nakago?"

"No," he replied. Miaka looked around. She was, again, floating in a sort of void, though not a dark and empty one like her vision. This place had a warm, light feeling. She felt a hand caress her cheek softly and a slim form materialized before her.

"Tamahome," she gasped. "Are you alive?"

"No," he smiled, brushing her hair from her face and touching her skin lightly. She reached out to touch him and her hand floated through him.

"A ghost?" she questioned.

"A spirit," he told her. "What remains of me now that my body is gone; the part of me that has moved on to the other plane."

"You're still dead," she whimpered, feeling his touches, wanting to know why she couldn't touch him. "I need you. Why did you leave me?"

"I didn't leave you," he said. "I went to be with my mother, and your father – he's better now, and all the others who have passed into heaven. I've only crossed the screen that separates these planes. I'm not that far from you."

"How are you here?" she was crying now.

"Taiitsukun wanted me to deliver a message to you," he explained. "She wanted me to tell you not to give up hope, that you will be happy."

"How?" she sobbed. "I lost you. I lost you, Tamahome, and I lost..."

"You haven't lost as much as you think, and you have gained something else."

"Nakago?" she asked.

He nodded calmly. Nakago wouldn't be his first choice for her; he would rather see her with Hotohori or even Tasuki, but this was ordained long ago. She and Tamahome were never meant for each other forever.

"Are you angry?"

"I know he's changed," the spirit of Tamahome said. "I know he loves you, though he does not know it yet. And I know that you love him."

"I'm sorry..." she looked down.

He touched her chin and she looked up. "It was fate that you would meet this way. Miaka," he said firmly. "I know you want to hold on to me, but you have a lot of life to live still. Don't give up hope. As long as there's hope, there's possibility."

Tamahome's form began to fade. "Don't go!" she cried, but he smiled and kissed her forehead, and then he was gone.

When she awoke from her dream, Nakago was there, and she pulled him close and cried, and he held her.

The doctor came by later and told Miaka that the faster she heals, the better her chance of minimizing scars on her organs would be. She nodded and told her that she'd do her best to rest and the doctor said that they would move her back to her room after a night of observation.

"I'm going," Nakago said.

Miaka closed her eyes as Nakago left. She didn't want him to go, but he was walking away from her without a word. She wondered if perhaps he was too different from her for it to work. He saw life only as a cold and scientific thing; something in which you are only surviving, but she saw life as time to help others. She tried to not start crying again. She was alone and hurting and she wanted somebody to hold her.

"Are you crying again?" a cool voice asked. Miaka opened her eyes and saw the blonde leaning down over her face.

She blinked. "You're back!"

"Did you honestly think I would leave you here to chew on your stitches?" he chuckled and dropped something soft in her lap.

Miaka gasped and then laughed, not caring that it caused her pain, and held her little teddy bear. Somehow, Hotohori had been reincarnated with the same bear. It was ancient now. They had discovered, later, that the book was not another world, in itself, but that it was a gateway to an alternate past. Hotohori had passed the bear down to his descendants and had, in fact, been his own progenitor, in a way. Thousands of years had passed, but the bear had been miraculously preserved due to the special treatment Boushin had given it. It was almost as if a spell had been placed upon it. Upon regaining his memory, Hotohori decided right away to find Miaka and return what was rightfully hers. She hugged it tightly.

Nakago smiled vaguely, satisfied.

"Will you..." she started looking up. His eyes were cold and he wore a frown as usual, but she could tell that his expression was simply serving as a mask. She knew he wouldn't deny her request. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

"I hadn't planned on going back to the room without you," he informed her, wedging his hands lightly beneath her and moving her slightly to the right in the bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked, wincing as he bumped her injuries.

"Going to bed," he said. "It is getting rather late." Miaka protested weakly as he pushed aside her IV tubes and monitors and joined her on the tiny mattress. She stared at him as he sandwiched himself between her and the railing of the bed. She knew he had to be becoming closely acquainted with the rail because he was barely touching her and he was a sizable man. He draped his arm over her chest and kicked his shoes off, closing his eyes without a word.

"Nakago..." she mumbled. "Isn't that uncomfortable?"

"Extremely," he said matter-of-factly. "Can you breathe with my arm across you?"

"Yes, but... I mean..."

"Do you mind? I'm trying to sleep," he said to her.

Miaka knew that he had sensed her concern for his comfort and was telling her that it didn't matter in his own way. The young woman smiled. "There's more room near me, you can scoot in."

Silently, he did so. Miaka reached up and brushed the stunning blonde hair from his face. He opened his eyes, looking at her blankly. "Thank you," she whispered, smiling slightly.

"Good night," he said to her and closed his eyes. No more words were said.


	11. 10 The Storm

Chapter Ten – The Storm

Green eyes opened slowly. She remembered the previous day's events and was torn between several confusing emotions. It didn't take long for her confusing emotions to turn into pure confusion. Why didn't she hurt? She touched her leg, then moved it, then sat up.

"Nakago," Miaka nudged him. His arm was still in her lap, and he was a little limp. "Nakago, wake up."

She looked around and began to unwrap her bandages. Just then, the doctor came in. "What are you doing?" she asked, running over to her. "You shouldn't be moving... you shouldn't even be able to move..." she trailed off as Miaka finished unwrapping herself and looked down.

"They're healed?" the doctor gasped, moving in for a closer look. All of the burns on her body were healed, and all that remained were faint incision lines and the stitches that closed them.

"I'm still a little tender," she said, poking herself. "I feel really bruised."

"This is medically impossible," the woman stood back, simply staring. "How is the possible?"

"I don't... wait..." Miaka looked down at Nakago. She hadn't noticed before, but he was emanating a faint blue aura, and so was she.

"Do I have any sort of color to you?" she asked the doctor, looking at her glowing hands.

"A little pale, but nothing unusual for having just had surgery. Aside from the fact that you're almost completely healed..."

"I've always been a fast healer. I eat lots of good foods!" she laughed.

"I'm going to run some tests, you wait here," the woman said, going off to find the aides.

Miaka peeled Nakago's body from hers and watched the glow disappear. "I knew it," she said. "NAKAGO!" she shouted, waking him. He opened his eyes tiredly.

"Why are you disturbing me?" he growled.

"You healed me. How did you heal me?" she asked, trying not to show how thankful she was. He had used up all of his energy to heal her.

"I discovered that, to some extent," he mumbled, turning over to face her better. "My powers have returned. I am able to transfer my life force into your body very slowly to heal you."

"How? I mean, before, you had to, you know..." she blushed. "And with Soi you had to..." she blushed even darker.

"I don't know, but when I touched you in the morning, I realized that our energy was exchanging, so I forced mine into you and went to sleep so I wouldn't die from energy expenditure."

"But why?" she turned to him. "Why did you do that for me?"

"Because you were distraught about the possibility of being barren, so I remedied the situation. I am always fixing things for you, it seems. When will I ever get credit for my noble actions?" he mused tiredly to himself, his usual sarcasm ever present.

Miaka came to the realization that Nakago had, in a way, always been there picking up the pieces. Ever since they had been thrust into the book together the year before, ever since he had become her ally, he had been there, making her feel secure when she doubted, making her happy when she was sad, fixing things when they broke. And now he had fixed her, so that she could be happy and have children... maybe his children, she thought suddenly, both terrified and thrilled to her core by the thought. She turned to him and hugged him, and he looked down at her as they laid side by side on the tiny mattress.

"Don't you owe me more for my services?" he questioned.

Miaka smiled, crying, and kissed him, not just a peck, but deeply, and he took over, rolling on top of her. She opened her eyes and he took her hands and held her there.

"Stop," she said, and he did.

"What is it?" he inquired. "Are you uncomfortable being beneath me?"

She shook her head. Truthfully, she had gotten used to being at his mercy, and she didn't really mind it, surprisingly. "I was just making sure."

"I figured as much," he said to her, giving her a twisted smirk and straddling her. She laughed and he began to kiss her neck and she squirmed as his light kisses tickled her.

The doctor returned and cleared her throat. "My patient is not to be active so soon after her injury."

Nakago casually and gracefully leaped from the bed to his feet and flattened his hair in the most nonchalant way possible. Miaka managed to look out of breath, flushed and rather flustered. Nakago took a moment to comb down his somewhat rumpled blonde strands and looked good as new. Miaka did not.

"I ran some tests. You're healed outwardly, though God only knows how, but inside is still healing. You need to stay off your feet, and off your back, for a few days. In all seriousness, the contractions associated with orgasm could tear open your stitches and that would require more surgery. I want you to keep your hands off each other for at least a week."

"We weren't," Miaka sat up suddenly and regretted it. "I mean, I wasn't... I mean... he... I... I'm a virgin!" she cried, face so red she felt like it would catch fire.

"Admirable, Yuuki-san, but things can change in a very short time, so please, obey the doctor's orders," she peered over her glasses in a motherly sort of way. Nakago excused himself to bring her some clothes and the doctor watched him pass. Miaka noticed her eyes wander lower as he bent over to pick up his shoes. After he had gone, the older woman sat down on the edge of the bed.

"He is a lovely male specimen. Are you really a virgin?" she questioned, not harshly.

Miaka nodded fervently.

"He seems very cold at times, yet so very passionate at others. Strange, strange man... How did you meet him? "

"It's a very long story," about two-hundred pages, she added mentally. "But we were enemies, and then we were friends. After... after my fiance died, I didn't think I would find anybody like him, but..."

"You think it might be him, eh?" she questioned kindly.

Miaka nodded, embarrassed to have this woman knowing such details about her life. "I'm not sure how it happened, but he intrigues me. Each time I think I understand, he surprises me again."

"He is a dark man, with a dark past," she said calmly, with a hint of warning. "Just be certain that he has left his past behind him before you allow him into your future. You seem like a lovely, sweet young woman, if a bit innocent. I would hate to see you get hurt."

"Thank you, but I know now, without a doubt in my mind, that while he remembers the past, he holds onto it now only to remind him of what he continues living for."

"You are an understanding woman," the doctor patted her leg amiably and stood up. "And a lucky one, too, I think," she winked. "I'm going to discharge you. There's no reason to keep you here now."

Miaka returned to her room, carrying her teddy bear and wearing the pajamas Nakago had brought for her the previous night. She got some odd stares, but didn't care. The doctor had removed her stitches, and aside from not being completely healed, she felt amazing. She had decided that she would tell Nakago in no uncertain terms that she was ready for whatever he had to offer.

She walked into her room and was immediately handed the phone.

"...one finger on her I'll kill you, Nakago! You won't be able to hide anywhere you go!"

"What is this about?" Miaka hissed at Nakago, who simply shrugged.

"I told him that you were naked in bed and that I would give him the phone when you got your clothes on."

Miaka's face contorted in a wide variety of emotions and eventually settled on resignation. "Keisuke?" she asked.

"Miaka?" he asked, stopping in the middle of a sentence, that had begun with 'when I find my hedge trimmers...'

"Nakago was just pulling your leg," she said. "I wasn't naked and I wasn't in his bed, which I'm sure he led you to believe."

"For all I knew you were," Keisuke heard him say in his defense.

"This isn't good for my old heart," he moaned. Miaka vaguely heard Yui and Tetsuya in the background asking loudly 'WHAT HAPPENED!'

"Don't worry, Nakago's older than you."

"His sister isn't in the hands of a merciless fiend..." he muttered.

"Anyway, what did you want?" she asked.

"Well, Tamahome's family called here and asked if you would come help them clear out his old room. His dad doesn't think it's a good idea for it to stay there like a shrine. It's not good for Yuiren and Chui has been depressed for months... he thinks they need to move on. Well, we offered to clean it out for them, because, you know, it would be easier for the three of us to do it, but we ran across something really strange."

"What was it?" she asked carefully.

"Well, it was a box of letters."

"My love letters?" she turned away from Nakago, asking nervously. "Because we never did any of those things I talked about, it was just to keep him..."

"No... what things?" he asked suspiciously. "Whatever, what was found was hate mail. Hundreds of letters of hate mail. All of it... well, it sounded like a jealous lover. It said things like that he wasn't worthy to have you, that he would ruin you and that he wasn't good enough... that only he understood your true purity... It was pretty graphic, saying all of these things about how he would kill him if he could get away with it... that he would steal you forever. Miaka, you don't think it was... Nakago, do you?"

"What?" she gasped. "That's ridiculous. He would never."

"I didn't think so, but Yui..."

"I'm sorry, Miaka, I was just listing off names of people who might be interested in you and it came up... I didn't mean anything by it," the young woman said frantically from the other phone.

"It's okay... wait, you think he was interested? Before, I mean."

"Yeah, he stopped by a few times, to get one thing or another or ask something, but that was a while ago, just after Tamahome... He always asked how you were."

"Really?" she glanced to Nakago out of the corner of her eye. "That's interesting..."

"So about the letters?" she returned to the subject at hand.

"Did any of them have any identifying marks?"

"No, the paper was plain, the ink was red, and the envelops were white with a purple ribbon wrapped around them."

"A purple ribbon?" she asked. Nakago stopped pretending he wasn't listening.

"Let me speak to them," he said, taking the phone from her. "Yui-san?"

"Nakago," she said, surprised. "Where did Miaka go?"

"Tell me about the ribbon. It was a deep violet, correct? Slightly iridescent with no ribbing?"

"Yes, how did you..."

"I think Tamahome's murderer is trying to kill me," he said to them. Yui made a soft sound of shock and Keisuke began asking questions about how he knew it was murder and just what was going on, when the power went out. Miaka stubbed her toe and cursed loudly.

Nakago set down the phone and pulled out his cell phone. There was no service, but the LCD lit the area enough that they could see. Miaka stopped hopping on one foot and swearing and moved toward him. "What happened?"

"The power has gone off."

"Well, I know that," she huffed, exasperated. "But why? Do you feel anything?"

"Aside from a vague uneasiness, no," he retorted dryly. Nakago went to the window and opened the curtains. Light flooded the room and he looked outside the boat. As he had suspected, the fans on the hull were on, meaning somebody had turned the power on the inside off. "Perhaps you wish me to investigate?"

"Oh, would you?" she asked sweetly, smirking to herself.

"I saw that," he said to her, going into the hall. He wandered toward the stairs and went down to the main hall. He heard people screaming and running about and decided something was definitely wrong. He went back upstairs and moved to the first window he could find. It was still bright out, but the ship had few windows in the halls, so without power it was very, very dark. He wasn't sure where he was. Something caught his eye; there was a rope tied to the railing of the ship. He jumped from the window to the deck and went to investigate it. Nobody was around. At this time of day, people would be eating breakfast on the deck, taking swims or getting some sun outside, but there wasn't a soul to be seen. It was disconcerting.

Nakago went to the railing where he had spotted the rope, and looked overboard. Floating beside the ship, tied securely with thick rope, were about twenty small motor boats. In the distance was a large, old ship with a pirate flag.

A man wandered onto the deck and instinctively, Nakago removed himself from sight. He turned the corner and hid behind an abandoned dessert cart. It wasn't the most dignified place to hide, he admitted, but he had the strangest feeling that he needed to remain unknown. Another man came out suddenly, joining the first, and they began to converse.

"Have you found them yet?" the first man asked.

"They should be on the third deck, but no sign yet. They may be in a room," the other answered. "We found the vault, though. There's enough bounty to hold us over for a year, not to mention the fine wines in the kitchen. I say we ditch the passengers on our clunker and steal this one."

"You idiot, a cruise liner gone missing is pretty conspicuous, don't you think?" the first hit him over the head with a breadstick that he'd been eating.

"Maybe they were having breakfast. Do you think I should check the dining hall?"

"Sure, why don't you just go ask everybody we've held if they know them, you dolt!" he swore, hitting him again, this time not with the breadstick. "Get out of my site, you dunce, before I throw YOU overboard. Just find that rich girl and her little friend, we already told her father we have her."

Nakago made an escape to a more concealed location and mulled over the situation. He had a bad feeling and he had learned to trust his instincts when it came to these things. As far as he could tell, these men were pirates. They were looking for two people; two women, one was prominent, the other obviously a friend. He cursed when he realized what was going on, and despite the lightheadedness he felt because of transferring most of his energy the previous night, ran inside to find Miaka before they did.

Nifei ran into the room, also using her phone as a guiding light.

"Miaka, I heard you were released. Are you well?" she asked, her eye glowing errily in the dark. "I'm so sorry about what happened. One of the servants told me. I wish it had been me." She looked sincere.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine, but what happened?"

"I'm in trouble... There was another murder, next door, and... and... I saw it! I saw him do it! He's after me! He... we have to run!" Nifei grabbed her hand and ran out the door.

"Nifei, where are we? Aren't we safer in there than out here in the dark?" she asked, feeling unnerved. Something wasn't right. She had a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach; the same sort of feeling she'd gotten before she had been blown off the ship, and when bad things had happened in the book. "I think we should find Nakago." Something told her that this situation was not as innocuous as it seemed, and she felt fear pounding at her from all sides. Something was wrong.

"It's too late," the phone went dead. "My battery just died. I'm scared, Miaka," she grabbed her arm and held it tightly. "He's after me... They're after me."

"Come on, we'll just retrace our steps... if only I knew which direction we came from. She felt Nakago's presence calling for her so she followed her instincts. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. "I'm so glad I found you! I thought I would..." he words were cut short by a hand across her mouth.

Nifei shrieked, and Miaka heard dark laughter, and pure abyss followed the blinding pain in her head.


	12. 11 The Chase Begins

Chapter Eleven – The Chase Begins

Nakago was unsure as to the particular circumstances pertaining to the invasion of a harmless cruise line – especially as to why – but he did faintly sense distress from his hapless little Miko, so he was certain he had to do something. He was standing atop the captain's cabin, surveying the situation coolly. From the way it appeared, there were between eighty and one hundred of the strange men on board. Judging by the wardrobes of those who passed, they were mercenaries – pirates. They were armed and as he crouched down to examine the captain's cabin, an announcement, originating in the room below him, sounded throughout the ship.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen," the communique began. "We would like to inform you that your assets –"

"And asses –" one of the men interrupted crudely. The first man hit him.

"Now belong to us. Please turn over all your cash, cards, jewels and other valuables to the nice men when they come to your doors, and then gather in the great hall voluntarily, lest we are forced to place you there involuntarily... We hope you enjoy your trip with the Pirate Cruise Line. Thank you!" the man set down the transmitter and sat down.

"You are so weird, boss," one of the pirates said. "You should just kick them and take the goods. Why are you so polite?"

"My good mate," the boss said as they headed onto the deck, his arm around the underling in a fatherly, yet somehow malevolent way. Nakago shrunk out of sight. "If you give people a little professional courtesy, they are bound to do the same for you, and are less likely to complain, even if you steal their chair from beneath them. Besides, this is an art, watching how each individual reacts to every situation. It's the thrill of the chase, my friend."

"Wouldn't there be more thrill, and more chase, for that matter, if we actually, you know, chased them?"

"You have no appreciation for strategy. Now, let's go and accept the donations from the nice people," the man said, grey eyes flashing.

"Sir," the man nodded and ran off."

Nakago smirked darkly as he watched them go. The man who was obviously the leader of the mercenaries looked over his shoulder briefly and then continued on, ordering a few others to clear the VIP floor. The man was tall and traditionally handsome, with a wide, strong jaw and chiseled features. His hair was a touch too dark to be blonde, but too light to be true brown. His skin was pale but his body was muscular. He spoke English to his men, and was, Nakago guessed by his accent, a highly educated Irishmen that had also managed to speak perfect Japanese over the intercom. Nakago smirked. He rather liked this man, in a twisted sort of way. By attacking the ship, he had made an enemy out of him, but under different circumstances, he might have found him highly amusing. He was shrewed, strategic, and evil – all the things Nakago had prided himself on during his time in the book. He vaguely wondered if the strange man could use a sword.

Hopping down, Nakago decided that his first priority should be to locate Miaka and severely injure whoever dared lay a finger on her or any of her possessions, and then he would probably stow her away somewhere like laundry and quietly sabotage the men until they decided it wasn't worth staying. The former Shogun sneaked silently around to his side of the boat and climbed down to Nifei and Miaka's suite, going inside. He called for her quietly, and when there was no answer, he went to their room. On the bed rested a note; he read it.

Eyes narrowing, the man crumpled the note and quickly exited the suite.

Miaka was already yelling before she opened her eyes. Nifei was sitting quietly in the corner, her hands and ankles tied together. "Miaka, calm down, they don't want to hurt us."

"Let me go!" Miaka ignored him. "I just had surgery! I should be resting! I'm a delicate woman, you damn jerks!" she screamed.

"A delicate woman would shut up. Take your friend's advice, girly. The boss will be here soon and he doesn't appreciate banshees like yourself."

"Your boss is coming here? Good, I'll just wait and take this up with him..." she threatened. "Why are you holding us anyway?"

"For fun," one man answered, cackling.

"If you think we're going to do anything for you, you're wrong," Nifei said with deadly calm. "It would be ill advised to touch Miaka or myself inappropriately. My father will have you killed."

"Will he now, girly?" the one who appeared to be highest ranking knelt before her, a smirk on his handsome face. Well, it would have been handsome had there not been a great, jagged scar across his cheek.

"That is correct," she responded, looking haughty. Miaka protested, this time telling Nifei to stop talking. The other men gathered around. "She's a pretty thing, isn't she. Maybe we should have some fun?"

"She's not as loud as the other," the first man said. "And not as chubby."

"Chubby!" Miaka shrieked.

The men laughed. "She's fun to anger, though."

"I like this one," they grinned and elbowed each other. One of the men picked Nifei up, throwing her over his shoulder and heading toward the next room. Nifei stared, dark eyes wide in shock.

Miaka, with sudden strength, hopped to her feet and chased the three men taking Nifei away. They pushed her down outside the door, laughing mockingly. Miaka shouted in protest, butting the door with all her might and telling them to take her instead, but her friend disappeared behind the door and all she heard were her friend's desperate pleas and screams and then a deathly silence. Miaka slipped to the floor and wept.

"Never threaten me again, woman, or your friend is next" one of the men said, shoving her back into the main room after over an hour. She stared at Nifei who silently stumbled into the room, moving back to her corner and sliding to the floor. She stared, eyes wide, at the wall, tears slowly streaking down her beautiful face. Her clothes were falling from her body, her hair was tousled and tangled and she was paler than death. Miaka stared at her, tears falling down her own face.

How had this happened? Miaka looked at her friend in horror. How had this happened? Suddenly she felt irrepressible rage flood her body. She stood up and screamed at the men. "ANIMALS!" she shrieked at them, her body exploding with red hot energy. "You disgust me, you vile pigs! How could you... how could you...?" she began to cry, her aura dying down. Nifei stared at her as the aura faded away, shock and something else in her eyes.

"Don't cry," a smooth voice said, pulling Miaka against his chest.

"Don't touch me!" Miaka jerked away, but he held her. She stomped on his foot and backed away, bringing her bound hands to her chest defensively. "Who are you!"

"James," he said coolly in perfect Japanese, holding out his hand. "James O'Reilly."

Miaka looked at his hand with a skeptical look, glancing at her tied hands.

"My apologies," the man said, taking her hands gently. She pulled away at first, but he held them until she ceased her resistance and then carefully untied the coarse rope. She looked up at the handsome man with distrust, rubbing her robe-burnt wrists. Miaka looked from him to Nifei. His eyes followed her glance and he made a sort of sighing sound, going over to her. She screamed when he got within reach of her. When he touched her hands she scratched him, screaming hysterically.

"Don't," Miaka said quietly. "She's... those men, they..." she held back tears. She knelt down and gently took her friend's hands. She continued to cry softly as Miaka untied her. Nifei fell against her, sobbing wretchedly. Miaka cried softly as well. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and pulled back, leaving Nifei to curl in on herself.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

"Boss," one of the men came into the room, a large, evil grin on his face. The others followed. "Decided to try our little girl out, too?"

"Who is responsible for this?" the man stood up, eyes narrowed, voice low and deadly. "Which of you," he glared at his men. "Has done this to this woman?"

The men stood silently. "Step forward, cowards!" he shouted.

"It was him," Nifei sobbed, pointing at the man with the scar on his face. "The others held me down, but it was him... who hurt me..."

Faster than Miaka had seen any ordinary human move, the man with steel grey eyes brought his knee to the other man's chest, knocking him back. He picked him up by the collar and threw him across the room. "How does it feel to be bullied by someone stronger than you?"

James picked the man up again and continued to beat him. Miaka watched, half in shock and horror, but feeling the other half glad that this man was getting a severe ass kicking. Nifei looked away.

"Enough," she said softly.

Immediately, the man halted. "He deserves to die," he said flatly.

"Yes, he does," she agreed quietly. "But I wasn't raised to seek vengeance in such a way. That's enough."

"Take this garbage out of my sight," James said to the other men. They did so.

"You're their boss?" Miaka asked as the others left, her voice low. "Why are we here?"

"You, my pretty pets, are being ransomed for a large sum of money," he said truthfully.

"Nifei I understand," she replied. "But I don't have any money. I'm just a poor college student. My family doesn't have money either."

"Your family doesn't, but someone does."

"Nakago?" she gasped.

"That would be the one," the man said. "I've already left a note."

Nakago stormed through the darkened hallways, a murderous glare on his handsome face. He pushed past anybody he ran into, and punched anybody who dared to try to stop him. He walked to the main deck and contemplated his options. Currently, every pirate was running around chasing rich people into the Great Hall. The former Shogun scowled darkly, disbelieving. They had the gall to ransom Miaka? To demand payment from him? They had no idea of the mistake they were making.

Firstly, he needed to learn where Miaka was being held, and then he needed a plan. He couldn't simply barge in and reclaim her. She was obviously well-guarded (because nobody could be stupid enough not to guard their hostage), and they would likely expect him. He decided that he needed a weapon, and a decoy. For that he would need an accomplice. Grinning malevolently and feeling very much himself for the first time in a long while, he set out to find his accomplice. Nakago had just the person in mind.

Muji was quite surprised when Nakago barged into the brig and sliced the bars with a glowing blue sword. The young man nearly peed himself, expecting imminent pain, or death.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice a touch higher than usual.

Nakago explained. Muji listened raptly.

"Ransom? Why? She's almost as poor as I am..." he protested. "Maybe because she's in VIP, so they think she has money."

"They want me to pay the ransom," he replied, rooting through the cabinets in the brig for anything that could prove useful. "How anybody gathered that we are... courting... is beyond me."

"Unless somebody told them," the young man offered. "But who would? Who even knew? I didn't..." he said a little sadly, stifling it. "I'm sure everybody thought you were with Kanu-san..."

"That is what I thought, but Yuuki and I have been spending a lot of time together lately," he said, pulling a length of rope out from under the sink.

"You still call her by her last name?" he asked.

"Yes," he said, not explaining further. "Now are you going to help me get her back or not?"

"You want me to help?" he blinked.

"Did you think I was breaking you out to help my reputation?"

"Good point. Yes, yes, of course I'll help. What do you want me to do?" he asked, stepping through the broken bars and standing behind Nakago. "Where did you learn to use a sword like that?"

"Past life," he replied curtly.

Muji wasn't sure whether he should take the tall blonde seriously or not. He laughed in an unsure sort of way.

"You don't believe me?" he asked.

"Should I?" his face straightened.

"How do you think Yuuki and I know each other?" he shoved all sorts of ordinary objects in his pockets. He wished he had his coat to hide everything, but decided that this would have to do.

"She was? And you were? I'm confused."

Nakago handed him some seemingly random items, including a stapler, a hole punch, and, best of all, a roll of toilet paper. "Yuuki was drawn into another world, in which she became a priestess. She was protected by seven warriors and had quite an adventure."

"You were... one of her warriors?" he asked, disbelievingly.

"Of course not," he smirked, eyes flashing. "I was the villain. Come," he stood and headed down one of the corridors.

Muji wasn't sure if he was kidding or insane but he simply followed, wondering what he should do with the items Nakago had handed him.

Miaka paced around the room. There were men standing by the door. Nifei was crying quietly in the corner, and James was following her as she walked.

"Stop it!" Miaka finally turned and yelled at him. She had had enough of this strange man tailing her. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I didn't expect you would be leaving, at least not without your friend. She looks a little disturbed. Perhaps you should speak to her?" he questioned.

"She doesn't want to talk, I tried," Miaka said softly. "I don't know what to say..."

"Well, how are you? Why don't you tell me about yourself?" he asked, flashing a winning smile. She frowned.

"Why don't YOU tell me why you're keeping us here? What's in it for you?"

"A large sum of money," he replied simply. "Isn't that enough?"

"No, it's not! I'm injured, and Nifei... she..." Miaka looked down sadly. "This is all your fault." She couldn't believe the trip this had been. There had been murders, explosions, and now a pirate invasion. She didn't quite understand. She had taken a statistics course, and although she didn't fare very well, she did know that the odds of this many catastrophic events happening at one time were slim to nil. That led her to believe that it was not just coincidence, that somebody was out to get her or Nakago. Nakago. Something struck her suddenly.

"Are you the one who has been murdering people?" she gasped. "Did you... did you do this to Nifei because of what she saw?"

His eyes flicked briefly over Nifei's limp form and then back to Miaka's narrowed, angry eyes. He smirked. "You certainly are an intuitive young woman, aren't you?" he grasped her chin.

She tried to jerk away, but he only pulled her closer. "Let go of me!" she demanded.

"I will do no such thing. In fact, I think I will..." he leaned down so that his face was millimeters from hers. "Steal your kiss." His lips met hers and she struggled, shouting angry protests against his mouth. Finally, she bit down on his tongue; not hard enough to bite it off, but hard enough hurt. He jerked away, his face darkening like she had seen Nakago's do when he was truly angry.

"My kiss is not for you!"

"Is it only for that mutt Ayuru?"

"Mutt?" she murmured.

"Yes, that impure line of his is no good for you. You deserve somebody of your pure descent like yourself, somebody... clean..." he smirked, pulling her small body against himself and rubbing against her slowly. She struggled unsuccessfully.

"Nakago is twice the man you'll ever be!" she shouted. "Besides, we come from the same place, you just don't understand. We share a bond much deeper than anything you could ever hope for... he'll find me, and you'll regret ever having touched Nifei or me."

"Yes, I'm sure he will come," the man said in a taunting sort of way. "We shall see who survives that battle." He began to laugh darkly, pushing her back so that she fell to the floor. She scuttled quickly from him. "I only hope he puts up a bit of a fight. I detest killing weaklings. It's so boring."

"You're using me to lure him here," she accused. "Why? What do you have against him?"

"Nothing, it's my employer that has some grudge. What it is, I do not know. It is not my job to know. It is my job to do as I was contracted, and I will."

"You took an entire ship captive so you could kill one man?" she asked, disbelieving. "What kind of animal are you?"

"My fair lady, I'm a pirate. It is not my job to care. It is my job to acquire goods and gold. Besides, this proves much more entertaining than the monotonous, yet idiotic hijinx of my men. It gets them out and about after many months of being at sea, alone..." he glanced to Nifei, this time with some sort of malevolent amusement.

"You... are a hideous, evil man!" Miaka exclaimed. "You will pay for this! I won't allow this!" she began to shriek, feeling rage bubble from within her very soul. This man... had he killed Tamahome as well? Red fire exploded around her body and she leaped at him, punching his face with enough force to break a two by four. The energy whipped around them and burned his flesh. He screamed in anger and hit her, sending her flying backwards, the aura maelstrom dying down.

"You..." he clutched his handsome face where a large, deep burn had appeared. "You will die!"

"No!" Nifei cried suddenly, her voice strong. "Don't hurt her! She tried to protect me! She's a good person!"

The man stared at Nifei's pleading face. "She will pay..." he said to Nifei, insanity in his eyes. "With the blood of the one she loves."


	13. 12 A Past Revisited

Author's Notes: Hello, everybody. I know I don't usually put author's notes in my chapters, so I'll try to make this quick so you can get on with it. Firstly, I apologize for the wait. I have been excrutiatingly busy lately because of my summer classes. I didn't realize the workload would be so great, but it is and I have been writing papers and studying for tests left and right. I know I promised weekly updates, but alas, it seems that that particular plan has failed. I will be updating as much as possible, though and I promise you, this story will be completed.

A few people have commented on some syntax and formatting errors in my stories. I went back and proofread the chapters in question and found no such capitalization or punctuation errors. I believe does not agree with my file format and has, to put it bluntly, jacked it up. Hopefully, there are no such errors in this chapter, but if there are, please forgive me and try to ignore them. I am working on remedying the problem.

I am fairly certain that is all. I will continue to update. I hope you all will read and review. Your wonderfully comprehensive reviews (you know who you are) really motivate me to continue despite increasing lack of time. Thanks for all your support and please do enjoy!

Chapter Twelve – A Past Revisited

"Hello?" Yui tapped the phone in vain, hoping it was only a brief disconnection. No such luck. She set down the receiver and looked to her rapt audience, shrugging. "Either she hung up or the phone died."

"Can you get her back?" Keisuke asked.

Yui dialed the number again, but only got an operator's message. She set it in the cradle once more. "Nothing."

"So what did Miaka say, anyway?" Tetsuya asked.

"It was Nakago I was speaking with when the line died," she corrected, leaning a hip against the kitchen table. She hemmed thoughtfully and then turned around. "He didn't get to finish, but I think the purple ribbon has some significance... perhaps there has been a crime scene..."

"Does that mean that there's a murderer on the ship with Miaka!" Keisuke yelped, his blue-grey eyes wide and worried.

"That would explain the presence of the ribbons," she replied thoughtfully.

Keisuke did not understand Yui at times. To her, this was nothing more than a difficult and detailed math problem that needed to be solved. Perhaps under time limit, but why rush and solve carelessly? Things weren't so simple for Keisuke. He knew Yui and Miaka were best friends, but he doubted the same emotionality was involved with her as with him. He was her brother. He had been with her through the worst times of their lives; times he doubted Yui even knew about. She didn't survive their father only to die on a ship. He began to pace.

"Maybe Tamahome figured it out?" Tetsuya suggested in an off-handed sort of way. It was almost as if he was thinking out loud. "Those letters held threats about telling, saying that the attacker had destroyed the evidence, that he or she would make sure there was no clue left. Remember that about two weeks before he was hospitalized, somebody vandalized his locker at the university, right? And a few weeks before that, there had been a break-in at his apartment.

"There was a break-in?" Yui asked. "I never heard about that."

"Tamahome didn't mention it, I just put two and two together. I saw on the news that several apartments had been broken into in that building. I didn't realize it until later, but his was one of them. I think he didn't want to worry Miaka. Maybe he knew what was going on but figured he could handle it."

"If he knew what was going on, why didn't he stop it?" Yui questioned. "He may not have had all his Seishi power, but he had to have some. Nuriko, Hotohori, even Nakago, they're all excessively powerful, considering how normal they should be. He could have at least mentioned it."

"Maybe there was no proof?" her boyfriend replied. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Tamahome usually weighs consequences heavily, especially concerning Miaka. Maybe the person held some threat over his head. Some blackmail... possibly something that could hurt Miaka?"

"Obviously, we're missing something. There have to be clues. If he was, in fact, murdered, there would be clues everywhere. He died in a hospital. They have to have some medical records, or somebody who we can talk to about his case. We should also talk to his friends from school and find out who he had been spending time with, and if anything had seemed strange the past few days. Keisuke," Yui barked, snapping her friend's brother out of his reverie.

"I wonder if he wrote anything more about it in his journal," Keisuke looked up.

Tetsuya and Yui looked at each other. "The numbers!"

"The what?" Keisuke quirked his head, blinking.

Yui ran out of the room, leaving Keisuke wondering if it was something he said. He was relieved when she returned. She slammed a book down on the table.

"That's Tamahome's journal, right?" he asked, coming closer.

Yui nodded, opening it up. She pointed to a page. Keisuke began to read. "It's about his trip to Okinawa."

"Not the words, stupid, the little numbers. Why would Tamahome write strings of numbers in his journal entries? Unless they had some meaning. Look at this," she turned to the front page. "This, right here, this is the day he met Miaka again after he was reborn. I remember because it was our graduation."

"There are extra numbers," Tetsuya pointed out. "That date should have eight digits, not ten. There are extra numbers at the beginning and end of each date. Look at them, they're all dates. But what do the extra numbers mean? There are hundreds of them."

"They repeat themselves," Keisuke said suddenly. "Each page, the string repeats, even though there are different dates between them. Five, one, seven, four, eight, three, two, one, one, two, six, etc etc. This must have taken forever to do."

"This is big, this has got to be significant," she scratched down the string of about thirty digits. "I'm going to take this to the university with me. I'll ask if any of these numbers are significant when I talk to his friends and professors. You two, go to the hospital and get his file. After you do that, talk to any of the staff that was on his case or even crossed his path, from doctors and nurses to janitors," Yui grabbed her jacket and purse and headed for the door.

Keisuke and Tetsuya followed suit. "Do you think they'll just hand it over?"

"I didn't say you should ask for it," she smirked and turned the corner briskly, leaving the two dumbfounded men staring at an empty hall.

"Where did you get that sword?" Muji asked, taking two steps for every one of Nakago's as they strode through the dimly lit servant passages, deep within the bowels of the ship. "I know they don't allow weapons on board."

"It was in one of the cases of antiques in the captain's office. I borrowed it," he smirked.

"You're walking around with an antique sword?" he asked, shoving one of the rolls of toilet paper that had tried to make its escape back into his pants. He briefly lost his footing as some of the things in his arms shifted.

"Why not? It obviously has never been used. Pity. It is a sturdy weapon."

"So... you learned to sword fight in your past life?" he asked, attempting to sound casual and failing.

"I learned to kill. One of the weapons I chose to employ was a sword, so I suppose yes, I learned sword fighting, in a sense."

That was not entirely true. Nakago had never been taught to use any sort of weapon. He simply knew. He was not sure whether it was because of his bloodline or his relationship to the god of war, but he had never learned any sort of fighting skills. He had trained to improve them, but the knowledge had been innate, once the necessity presented itself.

Muji struggled to think of something else to say. He was at a loss.

He erred for a moment and finally settled on a fairly reasonable question. "What are we doing?"

"We are rescuing Miaka."

"I mean," he sighed. He felt so slow and stupid next to this man. He felt like an infinite loser on so many levels. "How are we doing that? Obviously, you have a plan. Would you mind filling me in? I am an accomplice."

"Actually, I believe at this point I am the accomplice, because I broke you from jail. You, on the other hand, are going to be an accessory to assault and battery, and possibly murder." Nakago turned back and quirked one side of his mouth upward in a little smirk.

Muji looked frightened for a moment.

"But that's only if something has happened to my hapless little Miko," he shrugged his shoulders and came to a halt. Muji nearly ran into him. "Otherwise, probably only assault. And whoever it is wouldn't dare sue me. I'm a lawyer."

Miaka sat on the floor clutching her cheek where the man had hit her with one hand, rubbing her backside with the other. She glared angrily up at the man, but in truth was pretty frightened. Nifei was on her feet and pleading for him not to hurt her friend. Miaka felt touched that Nifei would be so concerned with her even after everything she had been through.

"Come with me," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You have to promise you won't hurt her."

"Come with me," he said again in that deathly cold tone, nodding very slightly. He began to walk back toward the room where she had been attacked. Nifei followed.

Miaka looked around. It appeared that there was nobody else in the room, so Miaka headed for the door. She figured if she could find Nakago, she could bring him back and rescue Nifei. The young woman poked her head out the door and looked around, only to see a surly guard glaring at her from beneath heavy brows.

"Just needed some air..." she said quickly and closed the door again. She swore to herself and looked over to the room. She wondered what was going on and decided to try to figure it out. She pressed her ear against the door.

"Lay down," he said to her.

Nifei made a soft sound of protest and the bed creaked, but she didn't raise objection otherwise. The bed creaked more loudly, presumably as James joined her on it. Miaka tried to turn the doorknob but the door was locked from the inside.

"You need not oppose me in what I'm doing," he said to her.

Nifei didn't respond.

"You, of course, realized what the deal was. She won't be harmed, but you must do as I say. If you continue this blatant defiance, I will have no choice but to... reconsider the contract."

"I won't do anything to put her in jeopardy," she said softly but with great defiance in her voice. "But you will pay if anything happens. I'll see to it."

Miaka heard once again the sound of clothes being removed, but this time Nifei stayed silent. The young woman on the outside of that terrible room slid down the door, praying she would not be forced to enter it, and that Nakago would come soon.

"So what happened in this past life of yours?" Muji couldn't stop himself from asking. It seemed intriguing, even if it was a little outlandish. People claiming to remember past lives, were not, by any means, a rare occurrence.

"I was born, I was the Shogun of an army, I died."

"Surely there is more than that?" he questioned, disappointed.

"Of course there is, but firstly, I don't necessarily trust you enough to disclose it all, and secondly, there is far too much for me to answer based on that pathetically vague question. Perhaps if you asked me about a particular facet of the time, I would be more inclined to answer."

Muji was silent for a moment, shocked that he had been, in essence, scolded, and also decidedly more curious than he had been minutes earlier. He chose his words carefully. "What was your family situation like?"

"I lived alone with my mother until our village was attacked, and she was raped and killed. I was the one who killed her; accidentally. Her and nearly everybody in the vicinity."

Muji was inclined to ask how he had done that, but refrained, allowing him to continue.

"Those who survived collected me and took me to their king, claiming I was a Seishi – one chosen to protect the Miko and summon the god Seiryu, who grants wishes. My father was the Shogun of that country, but I didn't discover we were related until after he was dead."

"What happened at the king's palace?" he questioned. "If you were chosen, surely they treated you well?"

"Hardly," he laughed stiffly, peering around the next corner as the walked. He kneed a pirate lurking in the hall in the gut and they quickly shuffled past the groaning man. "The king decided I was pretty."

Nakago didn't have to say any more for Muji to get the picture. He grimaced and tried to keep with the taller man's long strides. It seemed that the more he asked, the more agitated Nakago became. The only sign was the steadily increasing speed of his walk. Muji didn't really think he was walking at all anymore, more like running a short marathon.

"That continued for several years until I was old enough to resist, and then he simply used me as his military dog to take over neighboring countries and the like. Finally, after many more years, the Miko landed very much in my lap."

"Miaka?" he asked. "Did she also live in that time?"

"No," he replied, knocking another guard to the floor and changing direction as a few more pirates spotted them. "Miaka was not my Miko, she was the Miko of the god Suzaku. Her friend Yui was my Miko. They were drawn in through a book called the Shijintenshisho."

"Miaka and her friend were pulled into a book? That was... what, a gateway to the past?"

"Actually, the book itself is a dimension all its own. I believe so, anyway, otherwise the random appearance of people from the future would have drastically changed her time before she returned."

"If I asked her would she say that?"

"If she thought you would not try to commit her to a mental institution," he said frankly. Miaka was not a liar but she wasn't going to say anything incriminating.

"So what happened?" he questioned.

"I tricked her friend into believing she had been assaulted. I manipulated her to do my bidding and summon the god. Miaka and I did meet on more than one occasion."

"But you were enemies. You didn't hurt her, did you?"

"Nearly," he said, sounding a bit more distracted than he had been as he looked around a corner. "But that's ancient history. I died, I was reborn here. Interestingly, I was already alive in this world before the Mikos were taken into my world."

"How did you become so close, then, if you were enemies?" he asked. Nakago glared at him to speak more quietly. He had already attracted a number of men patrolling.

"I met her brother by chance at a restaurant at which he was employed. He realized I was a Seishi, though he did not realize that I was not hers, and insisted I come back to see Miaka. I did so, hoping to amuse myself by her reaction at seeing me alive and well, and then while I was at her apartment, we were both drawn into the book. This was... two years ago, I believe. After that adventure, we settled out differences."

"So did you date?" the younger man whispered, looking cautiously around.

"No, she was engaged to be married."

"Was?" Muji asked.

"Her fiance died," Nakago said simply. "We met on this cruise by chance, although I am beginning to believe that nothing that happens in this world is by chance." He cursed Taiitsukun silently for that and continued. "She has grown on me."

"It sounds like you've grown on her as well," Muji replied. "She's lucky to have you to protect her, it seems."

"I'm lucky to have her protecting me," he retorted softly.

"Protect you?" the accessory questioned. "From what?"

"Myself."

Yui walked slowly through the halls, looking lost. She was not sure why she had decided to go to the university. Thinking back on it, she probably would have been better off at the hospital. She had plans to be a doctor and she did have some connections that might have been useful to her. As it stood, Tetsuya and Keisuke were probably harassing some poor nurse into showing him the files.

The blonde looked into one of the rooms with an open door. "Oh my!" she gasped. "You really should close the door if you're going to be doing that!" she squeaked, her voice high, face scarlet. She slammed the door shut behind her.

"Subaru... where are you?" she looked down the residence hall again. "Maybe I'm on the wrong floor..."

"Who are you looking for, pretty lady?" a cheerful voice asked from behind.

Yui turned and looked up. The man before her was attractive. He had black hair and deep brown eyes, with a charming smile. He wore silver rimmed glasses, a yellow t-shirt and blue jeans. His hands were casually in his pockets.

"Hello... I'm looking for somebody named Ikeda Subaru. Do you know him?" she questioned hopefully.

"I sure do," he smiled.

"Wonderful. Could you take me to him?" Yui asked, smiling brightly.

"No need, I'm him."

"Oh! What a coincidence," she blinked. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

"No problem. What do you need to know?" the young man named Subaru asked her, leaning casually against the wall.

"You knew Sou Kishkou, correct?"

"Nobody ever called him that, but yeah, I knew him. He went by Taka around here. His girlfriend called him Tamahome, I think."

"You know Miaka?" she asked.

"Yes, but how do you know her?" he replied, suspicious. He wondered why some strange girl was asking questions about a friend who had been dead for a year.

"She's my best friend. I'm Hongo Yui. They may have mentioned me..."

"Oh!" suddenly his demeanor was friendly again. "Of course, Taka talked about you all the time. He said his friend Tetsuya was crazy for you. I can see why," he winked.

She blushed a little.

"What can I do for you, Yui? Do you mind if I call you that?"

"It's fine. Well, I was wondering what you could tell me about these numbers. I found this book in Tamahome's room when we were cleaning it for his father. It's a diary. We found these strings of numbers hidden within dates all over the place. This string of thirty digits repeats itself continually throughout. I was wondering if you had any insight."

Subaru took paper she offered him and looked over the number. "This first one is a date. Five-one – May first."

"What does it mean?"

"I probably shouldn't mention this in the hall," he looked around at the people passing. "Let's go somewhere more private."


	14. 13 Skeletons

Chapter Thirteen – Skeletons

Yui followed Subaru back to his dorm room, which was one floor up from where they had been. Subaru had, luckily, been visiting a friend. The former Miko walked into the room and looked around. The room was small, with two beds and a couch crammed into the room. Each roommate had a desk with a computer on it, and both sides of the room had a small wardrobe. There was also a sink against the left wall. Clothes were strewn about and there was a piece of day old pizza stuck to the couch. The room smelled vaguely of pork rinds and socks.

"This is... nice..." she said, smiling politely.

"It's a sty. My roommate can't figure out how to stay clean. That or he's too lazy. I always wanted to room with Taka... he was very tidy and scrupulous. And very thrifty, come to think of it..."

"Taka was a great guy," she smiled sadly.

"Yeah, he was a good friend. I miss him. I feel sorry for Miaka-chan... I'm sure she's still heartbroken," he peeled the pizza from the couch and cleared a spot for Yui to sit. "Sit down, please."

"Thank you," she nodded and took a seat. "So can you tell me about what happened on May first? When was this?"

"Three years ago. Taka was a freshmen. He was working for some extra cash by tutoring students at Itoki Preparatory, the private girl's school just outside of town. He was asked to chaperon a trip with that school and the brother school of Itoki. They took a trip to America for three weeks."

"I remember that. Miaka was frantic until the day he returned. What happened that made it so significant?" Yui questioned.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Miaka this, but Taka got a little drunk. It was a Friday, and, well, you know. The Americans were eager to show the Japanese a good time. Taka went back to his room and found this student from Itoki in his room. She was one of the ones he tutored, I think, and everybody knew she was crushing on him... always followed him around and the like. Anyway, she kissed him and they got a little hot and heavy, if you know what I mean..."

"Oh goodness... they didn't... you know..."

"No! No... Taka realized what he was doing and sent her away. It wasn't his fault, she jumped him while he was weak, but he didn't want Miaka to know. He loved her so much and he knew it would hurt her. Plus, from what I gathered, she and the other girl knew each other somehow. It would have been awkward for everybody so we all just kind of swept it under the rug."

"So this must be what the blackmail was about. Somebody must have seen it or taken pictures or something... But that doesn't seem like enough to blackmail him. Miaka would have understood," Yui pondered aloud.

"Blackmail?" Subaru questioned.

"We also dug up some letters when we were cleaning. They were threatening to tell or do something unless he gave up on Miaka. I guess somebody was obsessed with him."

"Him or Miaka," he said with a shrug.

"Yeah..." she looked over to him. "Yeah, you might be right. Do you have any idea of what else somebody could have on Taka?"

"Well, from what I know, his parents were really poor when they were young. He sort of eluded a few times that they did some things they weren't proud of, so maybe it was something they did. You should talk to Eso Ken, he was closer to Taka than I was. Maybe he mentioned something. You can find him in 358 of the next building over."

"Thanks, I'll do that," she stood up. "This was really helpful."

"It's always a pleasure to assist a lovely lady like yourself. Good luck, Yui-san," he stood up and took her hand, kissing it lightly. Yui blushed and was shown out.

Tetsuya and Keisuke walked into the hospital. A dull ache washed over the blonde, his chest clenching. He grabbed Tetsuya's shoulder to steady himself.

"Sorry," he shook his head slightly. "I feel woozy when I come here... it must be a conditioned response. Every time I came here toward, you know, the end, I felt ill because I knew what was coming. Just walking in those doors makes me feel like I'm going to collapse."

"Sir?" an attractive young nurse with red hair and green eyes asked him, taking his arm. "Are you all right? Please, sit down."

"I'm okay, I'm just a little lightheaded," he smiled weakly, being unable to ignore how pretty the nurse was. Her small hands fluttering over his wrist and forehead and everywhere else (well, almost everywhere) was not helping his lightheadedness one little bit.

"Did you come because you felt ill?" she asked, looking at him curiously, his hand still resting in hers. She blushed and released it quickly.

"No, we came to find out about a friend," Tetsuya interjected, a bit annoyed. Now was not the time for flirting.

"What room is he in? Can I help you find him?" she asked, standing up.

"He's dead," Tetsuya said.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" the young woman covered her mouth in slight horror.

Keisuke shook his head. "It was a year ago."

"Were you all friends?" she asked.

"He was going to be my brother-in-law," he said softly. "I got sick because coming back here reminds me of his last days. We suspected foul play about his death. He was a healthy twenty-one year old. In fact, he was the healthiest guy I knew. It wasn't cancer and it wasn't anything they could test. The results were all inconclusive, but he kept getting sicker, even in the hospital."

"We were wondering if we could see his records," Tetsuya cut to the chase.

"I'm afraid those are confidential... according to the new HIPAA regulations we're not allowed to release those without his consent, and well, since he's not with us..." she trailed off. "I'm sorry."

"He would have wanted us to know," Keisuke defended. "My sister was going to marry him... I know this is what he would have wanted. She needs closure."

"I sympathize, but I really shouldn't..."

"It's a matter of life or death. Look, my sister is on a cruise and we think somebody is out to kill... another friend of ours," Keisuke inwardly grimaced as he said it. Nakago was certainly not his friend. "If we don't find out who it is, we may not make it in time. I can't see Miaka lose somebody else she cares for. Please?"

"All right..." she agreed reluctantly. "If it's that important."

"Thank you... anything you can give us, test results, visitor records, food records; anything and everything," Keisuke pleaded.

"Come with me to records," she said quickly. "We must be fast. Right now, the staff is on lunch break. There shouldn't be anybody down there. You come with me and wait by the door, and we'll go from there."

"Give me that toilet paper," Nakago said, looking down one hallway. Muji pulled it out of his pants and handed it to the tall blonde. He lifted an eyebrow delicately, but didn't say anything about the place from which the paper had been produced. Nakago stuffed a beer bottle he had taken from the captain's office into the roll and then took out a small bottle of Vodka, soaking the toilet paper with the alcohol and then rolling it down the hall. It bumped into a man's boot.

"Who's there?" he asked immediately, looking at the end of the hall. There were at least twenty guards in the hall, apparently congregating there for some unknown reason. They seemed to be trying to break into the vault.

Nakago took out another lighter.

"You're not going to..." Muji protested weakly.

Nakago smirked and lit the end of the toilet paper. The flames ran along the little squares at an incredible rate.

"Run!" the man at the other end of the hall yelled.

Nakago grabbed Muji by the collar and dragged him down the opposite hall. There was a loud explosion and then the sprinklers engaged. The other man saw Nakago's hair flatten with the weight of the water and he grinned, from Muji's point of view, a little bit malevolently.

"And now that we've let them know we're here, I expect things will get a lot more interesting," Nakago stated coolly as they moved quickly down the opposite hallway.

"Why did you do that?" the waiter asked furiously. "Now they're going to be on us like white on rice! Are you trying to get us killed?"

"On the contrary," he smirked. "Now Miaka knows we're coming for her, and so will whoever is in charge of this mission."

"What purpose will that serve other than to prepare them for our arrival?" Muji asked.

"To make them very nervous," he said, trying to suppress a grin. "Anybody who is crazy enough to attempt to blow up part of the ship is going to inspire a bit of fear, wouldn't you agree?"

"That's true..."

"Besides, when people are afraid, they naturally run to their home base to find out the details of the event. In short," he smirked, seeing a frightened looking guard dash past in the next hallway. "They will go to their boss, which is where Miaka is."

Miaka smiled as she felt the ship shake slightly. The sprinklers soaked the room with water, shorting out an expensive looking laptop and causing James to emerge from the room with Nifei, looking infuriated. He grabbed the other girl's slim neck and pulled her upright. Miaka gagged and struggled.

"What did you do!" he demanded.

"Nothing," she croaked. "Does it look like I did anything?"

The man looked around suspiciously and discovered that aside from the obvious water damage, nothing had exploded within the room. He released her.

"Who was it?" he yelled into the comm device. The receiver sparked and buzzed. "Damn it!"

"Sir," a man burst into the room. "I saw it happen!"

"Don't just stand there like a limp noodle, tell me what happened, you baffoon!" he shouted, storming toward the terrified man.

"I-I'm sorry, sir. We were trying to get into..." he glanced at Miaka. "The place you told us to when um... a roll of toilet paper hit Hora's boot. There was a blonde man at the end of the hallway, and he lit the paper. It caught fire and then it exploded. Nobody was seriously injured, but the hall collapsed there. We tried to get back in, but we couldn't..."

The man roared in rage and punched the wall, cracking it. Miaka looked curiously between them. Was there something in there that was important?

"And now, you fool, you led him right to us. We need to relocate."

Just as James hauled Miaka to her feet to drag her elsewhere, a smooth, silky voice boomed over the intercom system.

"I would like to ask for the attention of the scum who decided to take my Miko captive. You made a grave miscalculation in challenging me. I have informed the coast guard of your little excursion. They should be here in a few short hours. That being said, you have two options. Return Miaka to me, or I will come get her myself. Consider yourself warned."

Miaka smiled at the man who's face grew redder by the minute. He threw Miaka to the floor and stormed to the hall where more soldiers had gathered. "What are you standing around for? Get to the communications room and bring that bastard to me!"

Yui had been running from person to person all day. The numbers seemed to be highly significant after all. Each one brought her to a new person that told her more about events that had occurred before Tamahome's death. She had reached the last set of numbers, finally. The last person she'd met had told her that it looked like an address but it was too vague to discover where. They had no idea of prefecture or anything, but she had gathered enough information to start forming some solid conclusions. She hoped Tetsuya and Keisuke were fairing as well as she was.

Yui returned to the Yuuki apartment and found Tetsuya and Keisuke already there, with another woman. "Oh, you're back," Yui hurried inside, sitting down with all her notes. After Subaru, she had begun to take notes on what was said so that she wouldn't forget anything when relaying it to Keisuke and Tetsuya later. "Who's your friend, Keisuke?" she glared at Tetsuya, feeling a wave of jealously overtake her momentarily.

"This is Hani," he said, a silly smile on his face. "She helped us get Tamahome's records from the hospital. She's really nice."

The young woman blushed and forced her voice to remain business-like. "It doesn't look like there's anything out of the ordinary with his care. His tests were all inconclusive, but he was having massive kidney failure. He was in line for a donor but was too far down. His symptoms were acute so he was at the bottom of the list."

"Did you find anything, Yui?" Tetsuya asked.

"You won't believe what I found," she said. "But... it's kind of personal..." the young woman glanced to Hani.

"It's okay, she's an accomplice in our thievery. She won't tell. What is it?" the blonde's boyfriend inquired.

"This may take a while," she opened the diary, letting a huge pile of papers fall out. "But I'll start at the beginning."

Yui pulled out the notes in order of who she had seen (she had had the good sense to number them), and began to relay to her rapt audience what she had learned.

In the next room of the Yuuki apartment, the Shijintenshisho began to glow. Within the world of the book, an evil being stirred. He had been asleep for thousands of years, his body bound to the words of the book. Deep within him, he felt a change had occurred. The chains that bound him were loosened. The world of the Four Gods was close to the place he had once lived. He had been sealed into this object millennia before, but now the worlds had touched, and the world of the book and the world of his origin were becoming one.

The being, an ancient sorcerer, no longer man, but a deity in his own right, reached out his tendrils into the world. He felt his servants, revived, doing his bidding. His body, bound inside the book, had been asleep, his spirit residing in the hells of his world.

"Find it," he breathed, feeling the beginning of his body's revival. "Find the Stone of the Four Gods."


	15. 14 Simple Foreplay

Chapter Fourteen – Simple Foreplay

"Are you okay?" Miaka went to Nifei and held her up. She seemed to be too weak to stand.

She glanced up at Miaka's face and smiled. "Thank you, I'm okay," she said quietly.

The former Miko hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry I couldn't do anything."

"It's not your fault... none of this is your fault," she sighed.

James had stomped out of the room a few moments after the announcement to go to the communications room, hoping to catch the two escaping. Miaka was glad he was gone. Earlier, when she had been so enraged that her aura appeared, she had been able to feel his chi and it was evil. When he touched her, the evil that overflowed from his very skin had so shocked her that it sent her reeling. She hadn't been able to let down her guard since, which was tiring to say the least.

"We need to get out of here," the russet haired girl decided. "And I know just how to do it."

"Is that wise?" Nifei asked, straightening her clothing and trying to comb down her long hair with her fingers. "What if he finds us again? We'll only be hurt. He's powerful..."

"So am I," Miaka said confidently. "You want to get out of here too, don't you? Are you going to help me, Nifei?"

"Yes, of course," she said, her eyes sliding sideways briefly.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Well... I don't want to make him mad. What if... what if he tries to hurt you too?" she bit her lip, shoulder shaking slightly.

Miaka hugged her again assuringly. "I know this is hard for you, believe me... I know. But we have to get out of here. At least there we can hide. Here, we're just open to him. Now come on, here's what I want you to do..."

Nakago smiled as he ran through the hall, butting any pirates they saw with the back of his sword and occasionally checking to make sure Muji was still behind him. It seemed that the reluctant young man had decided to play the role a little more whole heartedly. He had given up his worries and was now running with complete abandon behind the blonde. Nakago figured that he decided he had nothing more to lose. Plus Nakago had decided that he knew who was trying to kill him and that meant that Muji was off the hook, so he was feeling, understandably, quite a bit more lively.

"Where exactly are we running?" Muji panted from behind. How was he so fast!

"Back to my room," the blonde replied.

"What's in your room?" he questioned.

"Miaka will be shortly, I'm sure. Obviously, after realizing where we were, whoever is in charge of this little operation will have decided to go to where he believed we would remain, or at least head in that direction. He thinks that my room is the last place I will go, because that's too obvious, which is why we're going there. Also, getting him to chase us in the wrong direction leaves Miaka free to escape."

"Don't you think they'll have guards?" Muji questioned as they entered the VIP deck. He seriously doubted Miaka's ability to take down the bouncers he was sure were stationed at the door.

"Grunts," Nakago pointed out. "Miaka will handle them. Trust me."

"Will she come here?" the younger man asked.

"Without a doubt," Nakago said as they arrived at the room, opening the door. He had never been more thankful for his uncanny ability to predict people's actions.

Muji made a soft sound of shock as they opened the door and discovered five men, armed with knives and guns, sitting on the couch of the common area. The men were large and as soon as they saw who was at the door, haughty, evil smiles curved across their ugly faces.

Nakago simply smirked.

Yui had it all figured out, except for one small detail. She decided to relay the events and see what the others thought. She took a deep breath and began. "I went to a number of people and asked questions about Tamahome. The first thing I found out was that Tamahome kissed another girl while he was chaperoning that trip to America three years ago. I found that out from his friend Subaru. He directed me to another friend of Taka's who couldn't give me much information except that Tamahome's family was poor because he apparently used to work for a big law firm but he did something to offend them and the president of the company swore he'd never practice law again."

"A law firm?" Keisuke asked. "Did you find out the name of it?"

"Yes," she shook her head. "But be patient, I'm getting to that. So after that I went to find a friend of that guy. He was pretty useless, except that he directed me to a professor of Taka's – a government teacher who is the son of a lawyer. Oddly, one of the numbers fifty-five, was the number of the man's office—"

"So Tamahome really was leaving clues in the journal?" Tetsuya interrupted. "That's so like him... always obsessed with numbers."

"Don't interrupt me, Tetsuya," Yui snapped at her boyfriend. He looked severely chastised and shut his mouth. "Anyway," she continued, glaring around and daring anybody to interrupt her again. "The professor told me that his father had also worked for the same firm and that he had been involved in some secret scandal that he never discussed. He gave me his father's address so I went to see him. He was useful. He told me that many years ago, a woman by the name of Kaede had accused the head of the firm of sexually harassing her. She went to another lawyer in the firm and complained. The lawyer's name was Sou Kishkou, Tamahome's father."

"So somebody was trying to get back at Tamahome's father by killing Tamahome?"

"Not exactly," she replied. "Remember earlier that somebody said something about blackmail? Well, it turned out that the head of the corporation had been blackmailing Kaede, who I hope you by now realize is Tamahome's mother. I found out from the next person I visited, a woman named Emi, who was a co-worker of Kaede's, that Kaede had been in the escort business, if you know what I mean. The head of the firm had first met her through that business and had unknowingly filmed their encounter. He offered her a job so she could go straight, but after a while he began coercing her into performing sexual favors. That's as far as I got, however I'm sure you can deduce what happened. Tamahome's father fell in love with Kaede and she threatened to accuse the head of sexual misconduct, but he leveled the photos at her, and since Kishkou was involved threatening to defend her, he fired both of them and told them they'd never work again if he had anything to do with it. Somehow, those photos must have resurfaced and somebody used them to threaten Tamahome into doing what he or she wanted, though what they wanted is unclear."

"No, it's not," Keisuke blinked. "They wanted him to leave Miaka alone. Whoever this is is obviously in love with her, or obsessed at the very least. But who is it?"

"Whoever it is had to be somehow involved with the company," Tetsuya said. "Otherwise how would they have found out? It was buried before because neither party wanted accusations raised so they all just let it drop. It would take some seriously inside information to discover such a well hidden secret."

"Somebody in the company? A son?" Yui asked.

"Maybe," Keisuke replied.

Meanwhile, Hani, the pretty nurse, had been paying not so much attention to the story and deductions therein, but to the piece of paper on the table, with six numbers remaining unchecked. Those numbers looked familiar – very familiar. She closed her eyes and tried to think of where she had seen them. Suddenly she stood up, releasing a cry of triumph, and grabbed up Tamahome's chart from the table. "I know what these numbers mean," Hani declared. She opened the chart and pointed accusingly at the guest roster. Beside the name Xi Mei was the six remaining numbers. "It's a street address."

"I guess we're heading toward the train station," Yui stood up.

"Wait, one more thing, Yui," Keisuke questioned. "What was the name of the group?"

"Sui Law Firm," she replied, desperately wondering why that name sounded so familiar, but assuring herself that they would probably find out shortly.

Nifei released a piercing cry and the door slammed open. Two guards came storming into the room. Their boss was gone, meaning there was no reason for the girls to be screaming. The men opened the door and saw Nifei sitting on the floor, her skirt pulled indecently high. She blushed. "My leg... it hurts... can you help me up?"

The men stared stupidly at her exposed leg and before they knew what hit them, Miaka had come flying through the air, kicking one in the face and elbowing the other in the crotch as she hit the ground. The men groaned in pain and wobbled into each other. "Come on, Nifei!" Miaka kicked them in their behinds so they fell over and grabbed Nifei by the hand. The young woman jumped up and ran after Miaka.

"That was brilliant, where did you get that idea?" Nifei asked as they ran.

Miaka blushed lightly, thinking back to a rather similar maneuver she had pulled in the prison in Kutou when she had first arrived. She grinned, thinking that Nakago would have probably been impressed with her tactical planning.

"I don't know, I just thought of it off the top of my head," she responded. "But that's not important right now. Let's get out of here."

The two girls ran like crazy. "Where are we going?" Nifei questioned.

"My room. I know that's where Nakago is," she said confidently.

"How do you know?" the younger woman asked.

"I just know," the former Miko replied firmly.

James stormed down the corridors, his handsome face dark and violent as a thunderstorm. This was not going according to plan at all. Nifei was turning out to be quite a challenge to his plans, and Miaka... Miaka was more than a challenge; she was a disaster. He went to the communications room and looked around. There was a note on the console, reading:

"Too slow! Better luck next time.

P.S. Check on your captives, my friend."

The leader of the pirate group roared and ordered his minions to check on Miaka. He reset the communications system while he was in there, allowing the radios to come back online, and waited for report.

"Sir," a nervous voice said, afraid but glad to be on the other side of the ship. "The hostages... they're gone."

James closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm. "Very well. Meet me on the VIP deck, and tell the rest of the men to hurry up and get into that vault."

He thought to himself as he headed briskly toward the VIP deck that this day could not possibly get any worse.

Nakago stared down the men in his room. He had stepped toward them and they immediately jumped up to encircle him. Muji shrunk back against the wall, knowing that this fight was utterly out of his league. The five men that stared down at Nakago were huge; towering over Nakago's substantial self. Muji was amazed that the blonde looked absolutely calm, though he could have sworn he saw something akin to excitement in the man's blue eyes.

Muji bumped into a stand against the wall, sending a flower pot crashing to the floor. It hit, sending glass spraying in all directions, and in the second it took for Muji to realize what had happened, it had begun. The men seemed to descend upon Nakago like scourge, obscuring him between their massive bodies. First flew and Muji heard grunts of pain and cursing, though not a sound from Nakago. He heard somebody crumble to the floor and looked up, expecting to see Nakago.

Nakago was definitely not on the floor. One of the men was laying flat on his back, not a mark on his body, though the former shogun had unsheathed his sword. Another man went to the floor, followed by a third. Two men stood before the blonde.

"Eager to follow your comrades to unconsciousness, are you?" he taunted coolly.

"You're going to die, gaijin," the man taunted ruthlessly.

Nakago only smirked. His sword flashed and the man who insulted him crumpled to the ground. "And then there was one," Nakago said appraisingly.

Muji tried not to blink. It seemed that the last time he had blinked, he had missed whatever happened. It was obvious, however, that Nakago was not exaggerating his skill. He could honestly believe, after seeing him in action, that he had been a great warrior in a previous life. His skill was spectacular.

Nakago sheathed his sword and simply touched the other man, and he fell to the floor. "You shouldn't touch the gaijin," he shook his head slightly. "You don't know what you're getting into messing with foreigners."

"How...?" Muji stammered from his corner, almost frightened. "You barely touched him."

"I seem to have regained my Seishi strength," he looked at his hands thoughtfully. He went over to the mirror and pushed his bangs from his face, expelling his power slightly. Sure enough, the blue symbol of Kokoro flickered to life on his forehead. "How odd."

"How did you drop him like that?" Muji asked, approaching carefully.

Nakago dropped his hand, allowing his hair to cover the glowing mark. He allowed his power to fade. "I overloaded his system with my energy. I pushed my energy into his body at an incredible rate, which overloaded his nervous system and caused him a bit of sensory overload. He'll be fine, though he may find he has a slight problem with static electricity from here on out," he smirked, amused at his own power.

"Help me dispose of these," he said, going to the dog pile of pirates on his floor and lifting two over his shoulder at once. Muji followed suit, but instead dragged one by the arms toward the hallway. Nakago deposited the men into the next room and after they were all inside, welded the lock in place with a burst of chi. They would have fun trying to escape from there, of that much he was certain.

"We have company," Nakago said again, handing Muji his sword. "You go stand guard by the stairs and get Miaka and Nifei when they come. I will handle the rest," he said.

Miaka and Nifei ran at full speed toward the stairs. They had made it without much incidence. It seemed like every soldier had deserted their post. The halls were completely devoid of life. The girls got to the stairs and opened the door, only to meet the cold eyes of James, standing there and waiting for them.

"Now, you didn't think I would let you go so easily, did you?" he grabbed Miaka by the neck and pressed her body against his own. She shrieked and he covered her mouth, so she bit him. He cursed at her but held fast.

"Stop it now, or your friend dies," he said quietly in her ear, nibbling it lightly. The girl shuddered, but stopped screaming, looking at Nifei, who was pinned by the man's free arm against the wall. She was clawing helplessly at his hand across her neck.

"Stop!" Miaka cried. "Leave her alone, I'll obey," she resigned, hanging her head.

"Good girl," he said, releasing Nifei, who slumped against the wall, gasping precious air into her deprived lungs.

"Now, come with me..." he said, pulling them up the stair cases.

"Why are you doing this?" Miaka asked calmly. "Why are you really doing this? What do you have against Nakago?"

"That mutt..." he growled. "He must be exterminated."

"What did he do to you? How do you know him?" she questioned.

Nifei watched the exchange with wide eyes.

"He's done too much already. He's interfered too much already. He can't be allowed to live. The risk is too great," he rambled insanely. Miaka glance to Nifei, who looked just as confused as she felt.

"I don't understand," she said.

"You will understand in time, Suzaku no Miko," he said coldly, eyes dark.

Miaka froze. How had he known that?

Muji watched the action from the stair case. Nakago was taking down the hordes of soldiers that laid in on him with almost pathetic ease. He seemed to not only be taking them on without a problem, he also seemed to be enjoying himself.

The younger man noticed something strange as he watched the man. On his forehead glowed a bright blue mark, and around his body was a faint aura. He moved with the grace of a battle trained soldier, twisting and turning in a ballet of retreats and parries to avoid hits, striking with perfect accuracy whenever he chose to hit. Muji was entranced by this blonde haired, blue eyed warrior who seemed to become more animated than he had ever appeared before now that he was in the heat of battle.

Muji was so enthralled with the battle that he didn't notice the door open.

"Muji!" a shrill voice shrieked, but it was too late. All Muji heard before his world became dark was a soft, cruel laugh.

Nakago noticed her presence right away, but was unable to get to her immediately. He knew he couldn't remove his eyes from his opponents without putting himself in grave danger. Already the men had come at him with clubs and knives, but he suspected that many of them were simply waiting for an opportunity to pull out a gun and shoot him. Despite being fairly strong, even he was susceptible to such powerful weaponry. He continued to fight until he heard her shriek. He glanced over and saw the tall, evil man holding her. His world went white with anger and he lashed out at the nearest man, nearly taking his head off.

"Stop!" the man shouted. "Lay one more finger on my men," he said, holding the sword Muji had been wielding to Miaka's throat. "And she dies."

Nakago dropped his arms immediately and as quickly as he stopped, the others attacked, and all he knew was a myriad of pain and his eyes slipped shut.


	16. 15 Fruition

Chapter Fifteen - Fruition

Nakago awoke suddenly, body tense. He was bound, his hands tied behind his back and sitting on the floor in their suite. He groaned softly, feeling a lump on the top of his head throbbing painfully. Power of Seiryu or not, being clocked on the head still left a bump and one hell of a migraine. He shook his head slowly, clearing the haze a little, and examined the situation. His sword was on the other side of the room. Nifei was sitting on the couch with her hands tied in front of her and Miaka was laying unconsciously on floor. James and three other pirates were the only others in the room.

"What happened to her?" the blonde asked coldly.

"When she saw my men strike you down, like the weakling you are, she tried to get to you and was struck in the process. She'll be fine. Probably," he smirked.

"Ayuru-san," Nifei looked over to him when she heard him speak, looking, Nakago thought, genuinely emotional for the first time. "There's something wrong with him... he's... not normal."

Nakago flared his aura slightly, but found that something was draining his energy. He looked back at his wrists. The rope appeared normal but it seemed to have a rather strong draining spell on it. The symbol on his forehead glowed faintly. Nifei released a panicked cry, but he ignored her, feeling for the other auras. Miaka's aura was faint because she was unconscious, but it was healthy. Nifei had a normal human aura, though there was something very black about it. The guards had normal, weak auras, but James' aura was dark and twisted and definitely not human.

"What's your name, demon?" he asked the man.

"Most people call me James," he replied smoothly.

"What's your name, demon?" Nakago repeated, emphasizing the word demon slightly.

"So you're not totally blind to my aura, are you?" he laughed. Suddenly the man's handsome face twisted into a horrible, evil smirk, his eyes turning red. He cackled. "They call me Kuziko in the hells."

Nakago looked at Nifei; again, genuine emotion on her face. She hadn't been genuine about anything she felt since the moment he had met her. That was probably what disconcerted him so much, though he hadn't been able to place it until now. It had seemed that she was unable to express true emotions, even in stressful situations. It was subtle; she was a good actress. Now, however, she could no longer hide how helpless she felt. This situation was most definitely out of her control.

"So what do you want with us?" he asked conversationally. "More importantly, how were you freed from the book?"

"You can't be that dense, half-breed," the demon said. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed your power returning? You used it, or did you not realize?"

"I noticed, but since I do not have the privilege of conversing with Tenkou or Taiitsukun in this world, there is no way for me to know why, though I certainly have my conjectures."

"And those are?"

"That these worlds are merging again," he said.

"Correct," the demon said.

"I first formulated that hypothesis two years ago when the time in the book caught up with the this world. What I have yet to understand is why this is happening. Considering our last brush with hell being loosed, I imagine it has something to do with Taiitsukun sealing Tenkou's body and soul so that he could never wreak havoc on the world again."

"Yes," he said again, pacing around. Slowly his body was becoming less solid and more of a swirling mass of spirit, for lack of a better word.

"Care to expound?" the Seishi questioned, using this distraction to pull at the enchanted rope. He let his power die away to nearly nothing so that the spell would not be active and then began to untie the knot slowly.

"You're going to die anyway, so I may as well tell you. You and I both know that Taiitsukun, while powerful, is nothing compared to the full power of Tenkou. She sealed his body into the book, leaving his soul in this world's hells, but she failed to realize that as many loyal minions as she has, he has innumerably more. We have been working to free him. We have enlisted powerful sorcerers, such as Miboshi, to align the time in the book, which was what was needed to get Tenkou's mind and body onto the same plane of existence. Only one more thing is needed."

"And that is?" Nakago asked, hands still behind his back, though he had freed himself.

"I'm not stupid, Seiryu no Seishi, I'm not going to tell you that."

"So why do you want to kill me? I'm assuming you used the girl to try to kill me. What was the purpose of that?" he questioned.

The demon laughed out loud. "Don't think that your adventure before was an accident. Taiitsukun did choose you in particular for a reason. Because you and that girl there are destined for each other, though I'm sure she gave you some half-baked explanation."

"How is that?" he asked, for the first time very shocked and confused.

"It is in The Plan. Every person born has a person meant for them, that compliments them perfectly, that is the light to their dark or vice versa. Rarely does it happen that these people find each other. They may be of incompatible species, or of the same sex, but when they do and when they can bear children, they produce incredible power. Fate decided that you two are meant for each other. Tenkou did everything he could to prevent you from ever loving: giving you over to that emperor, killing your mother and that little friend of yours. Likewise, Taiitsukun knew that such a couple was a danger, so she gave Tamahome to Miaka to keep her occupied. Nobody truly expected that you would ever overcome your pasts, but after Nifei killed Tamahome, everybody in heaven and hell knew that you would gravitate toward each other."

He took it all in, trying to remain placid as ever. Finding out that not only had the hellish life he lead in the book being carefully choreographed, but that Miaka was actually fated to be with him was quite a shock. What was more shocking was that even Taiitsukun had gone to lengths to keep them apart. Was a child produced by them really to be so powerful? "So you then goaded her into trying to kill me, to prevent Miaka and I becoming a couple?"

"I didn't need to goad her, she was already stunningly jealous of you. All I had to do was offer to bring you to her to get her to do what I wanted. I arranged for Kanu to bring you here, and then I killed her, and the others."

"Why not just kill me yourself from the start? Why did Nifei need to be involved at all?"

"That was my plan, but when I discovered that I needed a particular artifact that was heavily guarded in order to resurrect Tenkou, I enlisted the influential Sui family. I would have just killed you both myself had Nifei not insisted that Miaka remain unhurt; fine, as long as I got what I wanted. It didn't all go quite according to plan, but once I kill you and the girl all will be right again."

"This seems awfully elaborate, why not just steal the artifact instead of involving Nifei?" Nakago questioned.

"Because," he said. "I still need to make a clean getaway, and that requires not being a wanted criminal. The authorities will blame all the murders and theft on Nifei's jealous insanity and I will slip away to bring this thousand year old plan into fruition. Besides, you seriously thwarted our efforts when you sent Miboshi back to hell, and that has a lot of us... rather annoyed, so many of the occupants of the hells would really, really like to see you both suffer. And anyway, isn't this just so much more fun?"

"No."

Yui, Keisuke, Tetsuya, and Hani stood in front of a modest house on the outskirts of Tokyo. They went to the mailbox and looked at the letters addressed to the occupant.

"Sui Nifei," Yui said. Somehow, they all expected it. "Daughter of the head of the Sui group, alarmingly close friend of Miaka."

"Isn't that the person with Miaka on the cruise?" Hani asked.

Keisuke nodded. "I can't believe... she could kill Tamahome."

Yui sat down on the steps and looked through the letters. "There's one that doesn't have a return address. It looks like it was delayed in being sent."

Keisuke sat down next to her and watched as she opened the letter. It read:

Yui, Keisuke, Tetsuya:

I gave this letter to my nurse with instructions to send it here after the end of the school year, the point at which this home would be vacated. By now I'm sure you all realize what this means. The one who killed me is Sui Nifei. I knew she was going to do it, but I couldn't prove it. I had been tutoring her for a while when she began to put moves on me. After I refused her, the threats began. Father was forthcoming about the affair involving my mother after I learned of it, and I know she would have done anything to protect her children from it. Nifei threatened to tell my family about the things my mother did when she was younger. I hope that if they ever do find out, they'll realize what kind of life she had been leading before and not lose respect for her. I can't stand the thought of them thinking that this was why she left. Mother died because it was her time. I need my brothers and sisters especially to continue seeing their beautiful, loving mother instead of a prostitute. As I said, I knew Nifei would kill me, but I didn't know how or when, so I took these precautions, leaving hints in hopes that Yui, the genius that she is, would figure it out. I knew that if anybody would it would be her. I am sorry I couldn't risk telling you of this when it happened, but I knew she would only hurt more people to get to Miaka. I feel like I betrayed you all by my secrecy, but I thought it better to keep you at a distance until I could offer proof, and here it is. Enclosed in this letter is a recording of Nifei's last visit to me in the hospital, where she confessed to what she had done and stated her reasons. If you turn this into the authorities I'm sure they will arrest her. Tell Miaka that I will always love her. I think I know who she will end up with, and that's fine. Give him this message for me: love her with absolute abandon. Love her with everything you have. Make her happy in my place. I will always love Miaka, but I want her to be happy with the person she chooses. I feel myself growing weaker now, so this letter is going to come to an end, as will I. Thank you all for making my years here amazing. I love all of you and I will see you all again someday, I'm sure. Goodbye.

-Tamahome

Yui was crying by the end. She closed her eyes and sobbed to herself. It was as if she had heard him from beyond the grave. The others stood quietly, taking in what they had heard. Hani took the CD out of the envelope.

"We need to take this to the police," she managed to say.

"You're right," Yui took the CD and put the letter in her purse. "We have to save Nakago before it's too late. I won't let Miaka lose somebody else she loves."

Nifei's eyes skittered around the room, from Nakago to Miaka's prone form, and then to the man who had admitted to being a demon. She couldn't believe her ill fortune. All this she had done for Miaka. She loved Miaka. She wanted to be with Miaka forever, and had not wanted any harm to befall her. She had been tricked, and now she was very angry. She shifted in her seat and pulled a knife out of her bra.

"N-Nifei..." Miaka groaned, finally stirring. "I'm sorry... I failed..."

"Don't be stupid!" the young woman snapped. "None of this is your fault."

"If I hadn't gotten involved with Nakago... you wouldn't have been hurt by that man... we wouldn't be here..." she was crying softly. Apparently, she hadn't heard everything "James" had been saying.

"Nothing happened to me," Nifei confessed, crying. "It was all a ploy, to get you to obey him. I didn't want you to get hurt, so... I had them pretend to rape me. I paid them to set this up. I paid with my life, and yours," she was weeping now.

"Why?" she rasped.

"I love you, Miaka... I've loved you since the day we met. I... I just wanted to be with you... I'm so sorry."

"And now, you will all pay for your interference. If you had left well enough alone, Miboshi would have released Tenkou and things would have been fine! Now you will all suffer before you die. You will all watch each other suffer..." he grinned and descended upon Miaka.

Nakago's eyes narrowed and he struggled more fiercely against his shackles. Nifei shrieked. "No, take me instead! Do anything you like, just don't hurt her!"

The demon smirked down at her, kissing her roughly. She twisted aside, kicking and struggling, but he hit her head, and she slumped limply, only groaning softly in protest as the man began to unbutton her clothing. Miaka heard her shirt rip sharply, but the world was hazy and she couldn't make her eyes focus, let alone force her body to obey her. She felt his hands, with supernatural chill about them, touching her skin. She turned her head; she could see Nakago from there. Her eyes focused on him and nothing more. She could see his piercing blue eyes gazing steadily at her, determined. She struggled again, screaming in protest, but the demon had inhuman strength. He forced her eyes to meet his, his crimson stare bearing into her. Nakago watched as her eyes glazed, her body relaxing suddenly.

"N-Na... ka... go...?" she whispered, questioningly.

Miaka looked up. Nakago was above her, looking down, pinning her hands to a bed. He was smirking. "Now I have you," his voice was smooth and playful.

"Where are we?" she asking, looking around. "Why is it so hard to breathe?"

"We've been playing..." he grinned. "You're only short of breath." His blue eyes twinkled mischievously and she tried to suppress a giggle. "We are in my apartment, silly Miko... where else would we be?"

"The cruise... what happened?" she asked suddenly, trying to sit up.

He held her in place. "Don't you remember? I killed the demon and the ship was docked a few days later. Don't you remember what we did after I saved us?"

"No..." she said, confused, looking around.

"I'm wounded, Miko," he smirked. "How could you forget losing your virginity to a sex god such as myself? You said it was the most amazing thing you'd ever felt, after all."

"I...? We...?" she looked at him, puzzled. "Why would I not remember?"

"Because of the hit on your head, probably. I will just have to refresh your memory..." he smiled, showing his perfect, beautiful teeth. He was naked over her now. She looked around, still scared and confused. What was going on? Something was... not right. Something was off.

"Don't think, just feel. You think too much," he said, kissing her neck, touching her breasts. She arched slightly. "It feels good, doesn't it? Just experience..."

Nakago glanced at Nifei, who had a knife in her hands and was quietly sawing away at her binds. She looked to Nakago with a look of determination in her eyes, nodding. Her bindings broke and she quietly slid toward Nakago, moving behind him and beginning to hack at his bounds.

The blue eyed former shogun tried to reach Miaka with his mind. It was unbearable to watch this demon touch his Miaka like that, to have her believe that it was him. His blood froze when he heard her speak again.

"Stop." Her voice was firm, but frightened.

"I won't... you're mine," he said in the too familiar voice of the Seiryu no Seishi. "Stop struggling!"

Miaka was crying now. "No, stop it, stop it, get off me!" She was all but naked now, and Nakago knew he needed to get to her.

"Miaka," he said quietly, but his whisper was overshadowed by a scream from Nifei. She dropped the little pocket knife she'd been using to free Nakago and leaped at the demon from behind. "Get away from her!" the woman screamed. Without breaking eye contact, the demon flared his aura outward, toward Nifei, and she fell to the floor with a soft thud, dead.


	17. 16 End Game

Author's notes: Hello everybody! I know it's been a crazy few months, but ahead of you lies the final chapter of Vengeance, part two of this Fushigi Yuugi epic. I said it would be finished this summer, and procrastinator that I am, cut it pretty close, but I made it. I would like to thank everybody for reading and let you know a few things. Firstly, thank you so much to those who gave such thorough reviews, especially Alcestis, Cyber Keiko, and KittyLynne. I appreciate your feedback. Secondly, I know this seems like it ended rather abruptly, and yes, it is unresolved. You have not heard the last from Tenkou and his cronies, or even of Nifei. All questions unanswered will be resolved in part three. Finally, and most importantly, I hope you enjoyed the story and please, let me know what you thought!

Gwen

And now, the conclusion of Vengeance:

Chapter Sixteen – End Game

"Miaka, wake up," Nakago said to her faintly, from his mind to hers. He knew this had to stop. He would not be controlled by this demon and he wouldn't allow it to do whatever it wanted with his Miaka.

Nakago paused in thought. Had he really just referred to her as his?

"Nakago, no!" she pushed at him uselessly. "I said stop! I don't know what we did before, but I'm not doing it again, you know I'm waiting! Stop!" she shrieked as he removed the last of her clothing.

"Miaka, wake up," she heard the voice, familiar, but so different from the one coming from above her.

"Nakago?" she whispered, looking past the man atop her.

"Look away from the eyes," he said. "He is trapping you with his eyes."

Miaka looked up suddenly, past the facade of Nakago's handsome face and beautiful body, past the bedroom, past the illusion, and straight into the red eyes of the demon. "I SAID NO!" she shrieked, expelling an enormous blast of energy from her body. The man covered his face as debris from broken glass and furniture flew from all around her and the illusion was broken. Miaka continued screaming, sending the demon flying off of her.

Nakago pulled one last time at the binds on his arms and was finally freed. He jumped up, grabbing his sword from the wall and moving to the demon, who was laying, sprawled on the floor, cursing angrily.

Miaka sat up, pulling on her clothes, and then went over to Nifei's dead body. She held back a deep sob and closed the woman's eyes. "It's about time," she heard snidely from Nakago. She looked over to see Nakago, his weapon pointed at the demon's throat.

"Well, I had the ugliest thing I'd ever seen on me!" she shouted back at him, crossing her arms. "I couldn't believe such ugliness existed. And then I woke up and found that it was a demon and not you! Imagine my relief..."

Nakago smirked. She was fine. "Now, my friend," he said to the demon. "I think it is time for you to die."

The demon actually smiled, and then he began to laugh, a cruel, cold laugh. The pitch was high and piercing and caused Nakago to wince. The demon suddenly transformed, becoming less solid, less like a man, and then he shrieked and hurtled himself at Nakago. Miaka was thrown back by the sheer power being expelled by the two forces. Nakago grinned, feeling a feral rush overtake him. A real battle, at last. The demon lunged at the Seiryu no Seishi and it had begun.

Miaka, who had been knocked back against the wall with windows, sat up and looked outside. She saw what had to be a few hundred pirates on the deck, waving down their flagships. They seemed to be in a big hurry. Maybe it was because the power of Nakago and the demon's power seemed to be rocking the boat, she mused.

Nakago and the demon were at a stand off. The demon was using a blade that was simply an extension of its own body, and Nakago was using the sword he had pilfered from the captain's office. They clashed again and again, Nakago's blonde hair blowing away from his face with the strength of his chi. Miaka didn't even have to ask to know what had happened: somehow, his power had been released; all their power had been released, and the bright blue symbol of kokoro was beaming on his forehead like a beacon in the dim room. The miko saw his beautiful face. His brows were drawn tightly, eyes narrow, pupils as pinpoints. His lips were drawn back in a permanent snarl. He was furious, and she was shocked to realize that he was furious on her account. The demon had compromised her dignity intensely and Nakago was getting revenge.

"You will die," the demon said to Nakago. "One way or another you will die, and you will lose what is precious to you."

Nakago growled darkly and thrust his sword forward, slashing at the man's bodiless soul. The demon laughed and simply reformed. It was obvious to Miaka that fighting an enemy without a body was not the easiest thing to do. He couldn't risk unleashing his full power lest the boat sink, but he couldn't let the demon get away.

The demon crashed down in a cloud upon Nakago, engulfing him. Nakago growled deeply and expelled a huge blue wave of energy from his body, sending the demon realing. The bodiless form seemed to lurch, panting. Nakago was stronger, but he was also tiring. After releasing so many large bursts of energy, he was breathing hard, though determined as ever.

Miaka looked between the two. She noticed that he seemed to be guarding very carefully his eyes. Whenever the shogun reached forward to swipe at his face, the demon recoiled and reformed. Hadn't his eyes been the force that hypnotized her?

"Nakago!" Miaka cried suddenly, disbelieving that she had noticed, for once, something he hadn't. "His eyes!"

"Yes, I know, don't look at them. Again you show your talent for pointing out the obvious!" he snapped.

"No, you ass," she rolled her eyes. "He's protecting them. Go for the eyes!"

Nakago watched his movements, and sure enough, the demon was protecting his eyes. He grudgingly admitted that she was correct and put the demon on the defensive by repeatedly attacking his face.

"You bitch," the demon snarled and shot a huge burst of energy at Miaka.

The miko screamed as a huge blast flew toward her. Nakago glanced in the time it would take for a heart to beat, from Miaka to the demon. He saw his opening and, willfully ignoring Miaka's scream, trust his fingers into the man's blood red eyes. The demon screamed deafeningly and slunk away, weeping and gnashing its teeth.

"You... you blinded me... you took my power... How... how dare you!"

"Death comes from above, demon," Nakago said coldly, staring down at the lowly creature. However, just as he was about to thrust his sword, infused with his cerulean chi, into the demon's bodiless form, a hapless soldier ran into the room.

"Sir, I have it! The troops are retreating! We have the item!"

The demon beast grinned and suddenly formed like an arrowhead above the room, and thrust his essence into the young pirate. The man shuddered and gasped, eyes turning red briefly, and then dark, deep black once again. The man laughed, grasping the item. "I have it! I have it, finally! It is almost complete!"

Before Nakago could react, he heard a soft groan from Miaka. She had taken the brunt of the blast and was all right, if a little crisp around the edges but in the second it took for him to glance to the Miko, the man leaped out the window and to the deck, making it to the ship. It took seconds for them to cast away, and the demon was gone.

The Seiryu no Seishi's power died away, his longish blonde hair falling back around his face in its usual hapless manner. He went over to Miaka, kneeling down. She was shaking, crying at the pain in her burnt hands. She had used what little power she had left to repel the blast, but it has burnt her hands and arms quite badly.

"It hurts," she cried, shaking, her body going into shock. "Make it stop."

"Be quiet," he said in a teasing tone. "Your voice annoys me to the point of insanity." He took her blistered hands in his own and infused his chi into hers, creating a vaguely purple aura around her. Her wounds began to heal slowly and her sobs of pain died away.

"Nifei is..." she whispered.

"Nifei caused this. She is the one who killed Tamahome, but now she is dead, so it is best to let these things lie with her," Nakago informed the young woman.

Miaka was silent for a few minutes, taking everything in. Had this actually happened? She felt the pain completely subside and Nakago lifted her up, looking around the destroyed room. The main power came back on and an announcement came over the intercom telling the people to return to their rooms until things could be sorted out.

"My suite is a crime scene, yours is a disaster..." the blonde chuckled.

"Mine's okay, though," a voice said, stepping over the destruction and the remaining soldiers in the hall. It was Muji. "You can stay with me for the duration."

"Muji! You're okay! I thought James, er... whatever he was... killed you!"

He shook his head. "But I think this is a story I need to hear. You can all stay with me under one condition."

"What is that?" Nakago frowned.

"You tell me all about what happened here, and all about what happened in this book you mentioned, Gi-san, or should I be calling you 'Nakago-san?'"

"Gi-san will be just fine," he smirked lightly. "I'm sure as much as Miaka likes to hear herself talk, she'll have no trouble telling you all about her time in the book."

"Nakago!" she hissed. "Should you be telling people about that? They'll have me committed!"

"One can only hope," he smirked more fully and carried her to Muji's room.

The trio arrived in the little cellar-like room. Nakago set the Miko on her feet and appraised the room. "We should call Yui and fill her in," Miaka decided. "Is it okay if we use your phone, Muji-kun?" she questioned, smiling cutely.

"It's fine," he said cheerfully, honestly just glad to be alive. "Please, sit down," he said to Nakago, going to get some bandages for the spectacular array of cuts he had managed to obtain.

Miaka finally got through to Yui and was immediately bombarded with a slew of questions and rambling that made her head spin. "You do this!" she thrust the phone in Nakago's face. He calmly took it.

"Nakago?" Yui asked, puzzlement quite evident in her tone. "You're alive?"

"I am touched to hear the relief in your voice," he said dryly.

"What happened?" she ignored his cynicism and pushed onward.

Nakago explained the gist of the tale and left the rest for her to deduce on her own, hanging up. Miaka sat down beside him and began absently bandaging him. Nakago watched her passively, blue eyes wandering her slim form. He decided he wanted her as he watched her work with determination for the sole purpose of making him comfortable. This woman had gone from the most hated enemy to the thing nearest and dearest to him and after having gone through hell to keep her safe, twice, he decided that she was definitely a worthy investment.

At least, that's what he tried to tell himself. In reality, he had never cared for any person as much as he cared for her. Before knowing her he had really cared only for himself. He had managed to lead a productive life, generally keeping out of any serious trouble, but also without much of interest. Now, however, he knew that while she was 'a worthy investment,' he also knew that he had never needed anything as much as he needed her to simply be with him. Without warning, Nakago pulled the woman into his lap and kissed her deeply, pinning her down to the couch. His cool eyes stared into hers and she looked back up at him, confused. A ghost of a smile touched his lips – as much as he would ever dare show with Muji mere feet away – and he kissed her again, and then released her.

"What was that for?" Miaka asked, blushing and sitting up.

"Nothing..." he said quietly and then changed his mind. "For rescuing me."

"Rescuing, but you..." she looked over at him, and then realized the weight of what he said and decided now was a good time to finish bandaging his wounds. "I see."

No more words were said. Muji let the two stay in his room that night, and the trip that deposited them back on the banks of Tokyo Bay were uneventful.

Miaka thanked Muji and made sure to get his contact information so they could keep in touch, and then he smiled and left them to tend to his duties. Miaka and Nakago stood on the deck, waiting for the crew to drop anchor and allow passengers to again stand on dry land. The night was cool and starry, clear and just far enough from Tokyo's lights that the shimmering stars could be enjoyed.

"This has been an interesting cruise, has it not?" the blonde asked conversationally, his gaze shifting to her. He continually failed to keep his defenses up with her, so finally just gave up and put his arm around her, looking down at her with a softness that shocked her into silence.

Miaka nodded dumbly, staring up at that expression, so foreign on the usually hard features, but so beautiful. She couldn't believe the twisting events that had led them to this point. She had first met him, a handsome foreigner, at the gates of Kutou. She had soon discovered that he was her enemy. She had loved Tamahome – Tamahome who had killed Nakago – and had soon after come to regard Nakago as a friend. After the unexpected death of her love, at the equally unexpected hands of her friend Nifei, she had discovered that while Tamahome would always be her first love, Nakago had turned out to be a far deeper love.

There was an innate difference in the two types of love. Tamahome had always loved her, and she him, but their love had been pure, innocent, and in some ways, very child like. She had had attraction, but she hadn't truly and simply known. She hadn't known of his mother, he hadn't known of her father. They had a mutual companionship that would have made for a comfortable, usual marriage. With Nakago, who she had finally admitted she loved, it was much deeper. There was passion and lust, but with underlying concern. She knew of the most painful events of his life; and of his death. She knew of the breaking of his dignity and pure, little boyish spirit, and she knew of the second breaking that took place when he died. He knew of the facade that was her equivalent to Chichiri's happy mask, and he not only knew, but he knew why; the real reason why. Most of all, though, there was the desperate need. He needed her lightness, her softness, and she needed his darkness; his passion.

She closed her eyes. All this revelation from a simple cruise. The irony of it all amazed her. She couldn't even begin to think about all that Nakago told her about what Yui, Tetsuya, and her brother had discovered. The whole mess with Nifei was something she only hoped to move away from. Secretly, though, she couldn't help admitting that without Nifei, she and Nakago might not have realized what they had between each other. The intricate tapestry of fate was apparent.

"I think Taiitsukun planned this," Nakago said in an annoyed voice, interrupting the Miko's thoughts. "She seems to enjoy making my life miserable. Look what she's done putting me with you. I don't know how she sleeps at night."

"I got the worse end of the deal," she mumbled somewhat sleepily, though her dancing eyes betrayed the slurred words. "I have to put up with the man who is his own greatest fan. Woe is me," she sighed dramatically.

Nakago released her from his grasp, putting his hands in his pockets, staring out intensely into the sea again.

Miaka smiled and leaned against the railing. "It was definitely fate."

He didn't need to speak or nod for her to know he agreed.

"You are going to marry me next summer."

Miaka whirred around, staring at him.

"You will wear white, I will wear black. The rest is up to you."

The young woman floundered for a few moments, utterly baffled. Had he just proposed to her? He had actually sort of demanded a wedding from her, so her first instinct was to growl for a moment, thinking of something rude to say, but finally she conceded and grinned hugely. She jumped into his arms, large, innocent eyes twinkling, crying tears of joy. She kissed him. "Yes!" she exclaimed and then calmed herself, clearing her throat in a business like way. "Yes, I accept. But..."

He lifted an eyebrow in curiosity, wondering at her terms.

"Only if our honeymoon isn't a cruise."

Nakago laughed. Laughed. And Miaka laughed happily, and the passengers returned to their homes, and the adventure had come to a close, though they both knew in their hearts that the adventure had only begun.

The End

(for now)


End file.
